A Rogue On The Run
by hyen665
Summary: After Rogue and Gambit seemingly break up for good, Rogue leaves the Institute. Trouble ensues her and only the X-Men can save her. Will she accept the help of the man who broke her heart, or will she stay away despite the harm that follows her? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

The roaring argument of Rogue and Gambit exploded from the kitchen. The argument pricked the ears of Logan, who was working on his bike on the paving outside the garages. He growled at the thought of another argument between the lovers – wondering why the hell Rogue hadn't dumped that stupid Cajun, Gambit, already.

"Mah gawd, Gambit!" Rogue yelled, punching a hole through the wall. "Ah'm leavin'!"

She skidded out of the kitchen, her body shaking and tears fleeing down her face as soon as her back was turned to Gambit. She slammed the door behind her and flew out of the mansion.

"She not the only one who can leave this damn place!" Gambit growled to no one but himself, slamming the beer bottle onto the counter, making the dregs at the bottom of the bottle splash and crash against the glass.

With a swish of his worn, dark brown trench coat, Gambit left the kitchen, Jubilee, Kitty, Alex and Kurt staring at him in awe and confusion.

"Do you think that they're, like, over for good now, or what?" Kitty asked Jubilee.

" Like, they're always fighting but this one seemed different. More final, you know? I really think the golden couple are over!" Jubilee replied.

The girls looked at each other, sadly.

"That's sad. Poor Rogue must be so upset. Venever she and Gambit argue, she tells me of all ze feelings she has. She really loves him. Poor, poor Rogue." Kurt sighed, genuinely sympathetic towards his older half sister.

All of a sudden the girls grinned, Jubilee clapped her hands and they beamed at Kurt, their eyes wide and almost too happy. Kurt looked at them, clueless.

"Kurt!" They both cried, together. "Rogue's your sister! You can find out what's going on!"

"Ack, vat? You're going to use the cute blue fuzzy dude just so you can gossip? Vat type of friends are you!" Kurt gasped as each girl gripped onto his arms.

"We're not trying to gossip, we just want to know if Rogue's okay - and she'd talk to you, you're her brother. The only other person she'd talk to here is Storm, and we can't ask her to spy - I mean, check on Rogue for us." Jubilee smiled.

"Vhy are you so interested anyway?" Kurt questioned, oblivious to Jubilee's slip up.

"Because, stupid, this is _Rogue_ and _Gambit_. They've always been together - okay, so they've not officially been together, but they're Rogue and Gambit. They're always with each other - if anybody is meant to be together forever, it's those two. And if they're not together anymore, what does that say about love? I mean – they care for each other so much, they overcame not being able to touch each other – not hold hands or kiss or anything. If they can't make it, who can?" Kitty gushed.

"You saying rove onry exist if Gambit and Rogue are together? You say rove isn't real if Gambit and Rogue are seperate?" Shiro asked, in broken English, his accent still thick and Japanese.

"Yes! See, Shiro understands!" The girls beamed. "They're two halves of a whole, Rogue and Gambit, and if they're not together then that's GOTTA mean that true love isn't real, you know?" Kitty added.

"Ack, I still don't understand zis, but fine. I'll go find Rogue." Kurt sighed, before teleporting away with a pop and a whisp of smoke.

"You know, they're not gonna appreciate you messing about in their business." A gruff, growl of a voice said, striding passed the three remaining teenagers. "Even if blue boy can't see your feeding him lies, you're still shoving your noses somewhere they don't belong. When they find out you're butting into their business, Rogue and Gambit will show you a thing or two – which is a lot less than what I'm gonna do to Gambit when I find out what he's done." Logan smiled, darkly, to himself.

"Logan, do you know what's going on?" Jubilee asked, meekly, ignoring everything Logan had just said. "Ya know, between Rogue and Gambit."

Jubilee, Kitty and Shiro's eyes followed Logan as he strode through the kitchen, each of them filled with anticipation and nerves, and, in Shiro's case, a fair bit of fear. Logan had been working on his motorbike and oil and grease covered his jeans and black tee-shirt with the ripped off sleeves. He had seen Rogue leave the house, pushing the mansion's front doors open with such force as to blow the two heavy oak doors from their hinges. He'd seen Rogue fly over to the garages, where he was working, with tears flowing down her beautiful, angry face. He'd asked her what was wrong and all she said was his name - Gambit. He smiled, darkly, at her, as she kicked her motorbike into life. He gave her the coordinates to a nice fishing hole he went to whenever he needed calming down. As soon as Rogue had disappeared, Logan decided he could do with a nice cold beer, and maybe seeing Gambit on his way to the kitchen.

"No, but even if I did, I wouldn't go telling it to you gossiping kids. I have a lot more respect for Rogue than that." Logan growled, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

"Don't ya mean Rogue AND Gambit?" Jubilee asked, amused.

"If I meant them both, I would have said so. I'll tell you nosey shrimps one thing: I don't respect that stinking Cajun. I never liked him - I only tolerated him coz Rogue loves him. And now Gumbo's gone and broke Rogue's heart." Logan hissed, stabbing through the wall with his claws.

"Love not exist if Rogue and Gambit are separate!" Shiro pointed out, urgently.

"Oh, is that right, bub?" Logan smirked, releasing a loud, rasping roar of a laugh – Kurt wasn't the only idiot kid manipulated by the two teenage girls. "Well, ain't that something."

Logan left, again.

"Like, someone's a bit too happy Rogue's single." Kitty noted on Logan's departure.

"And here I thought Wolverine was crushing on Storm." Jubilee agreed.

"Do ya think he likes Rogue?"

"If he did, that'd suck. I mean, Logan seems to like crushing on taken girls – first Jean, then Rogue."

"Yeah ... Like, I always saw him more with Storm, ya know?"

Kitty and Jubilee looked at each other.

"We should set them up!" They squealed.

"Like, first we'll find out what's wrong in paradise. Then we can match up Storm and Wolverine!" Jubilee grinned, as she and Kitty hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Desu yo?" Shiro sighed, walking into the sitting room and flopping onto the couch.

"Wassup, dude?" Evan asked, throwing the X-Box controller at Bobby after Bobby beat him, again, at Soul Calibur 2. "I thought you went to get chips and sodas?"

"Rogue and Gambit broke up." Shiro replied.

"Heh, yeah, I think everyone heard that, dude." Bobby sniggered, tossing the controller onto his lap.

Shiro held onto the controller and stared at it.

"Jubilee and Kitty said-"

Bobby, Evan and Alex interrupted him by laughing.

"You can't seriously believe anything those two say. The only things that matter to them are clothes, shopping, gossip, boys and messing with people's relationships. Whenever anyone breaks up, it's like a life or death situation with them, and then they broadcast it on the ten o'clock news. They're crazy. That's why I like Kara from school – she's quiet, but when it comes to anything physical, you can't stop her." Alex smiled, smugly.

"I thought you were with Amber?" Bobby asked.

"I thought it was Michaela." Evan grinned. "Now she's got a great ass."

"Who says I'm just with Kara?" Alex grinned, proudly. "Dating, dudes. You get all of the women and none of the commitment."

"Dude!" Bobby and Evan beamed in unison.

Shiro stared at the television screen blankly.

"Desu yo?" He sighed again.


	2. Chapter 2

"CAJUUUN!" Logan roared, his voice rumbling through the mansion like an earthquake.

He had stomped out of the kitchen and wandered around the ground floor rooms, searching for one person. He was back in the foyer, his eyes darting across his surroundings like a tiger hunting for its latest prey.

"I assume you're looking for Gambit." Storm asked, elegantly making her way down the stairs, looking like a beautiful African goddess, as usual.

"How'd ya guess?" Logan replied, his lips twisted into a half-smile – his eyes twinkling, briefly, as Storm graced into his sight.

"He's in his room." Storm replied, giving him a small smile.

"Sulking, is he?" Logan spat.

"Trying to ... recuperate." Storm replied, carefully. "The latest Rogue and Gambit argument has left him a fair bit more dishevelled than any other. Treat him with a little compassion."

"I'll treat him, alright, but it's not gonna be with compassion. It's gonna be with one of my claw's," Logan flicked out one of his long, razor sharp claws, and smiled, darkly, examining it. "Shoved up the stupid Cajun's-"

"Logan, please." Storm interrupted. "I don't think your way of handling things would be appropriate right now. If Rogue returns to see Gambit a little more worse for wear than he already is, don't you think it'll make her feel worse?"

Logan paused. As usual, his plans consisted of slashing and hacking first, thinking later. He wondered if Rogue feeling worse than she already did was worth killing Gambit, slowly and painfully. He knew what he wanted to do.

"Arrghh!" Logan groaned, flicking his claw back into his hand. "I couldn't give a rat's ass about Gumbo. I just don't want to see Rogue cry again."

"You're very protective of her." Storm smiled, approvingly, tilting her gorgeous face to the side, and gazing at Logan through her azure eyes, some threads of soft white hair falling across her face.

"Gives me a reason to slice and dice Gumbo." Logan answered, shrugging his shoulders, scowl permanently fixed to his face.

"Play nicely with Gambit, Logan." Storm smiled, placing a hand on his arm before turning her back and floating out of the foyer in the direction of the library.

Logan watched her leave. The crash of Shiro, Alex, Bobby and Evan breaking _something_ in one of the downstairs lounges snapped him out of his trance. Logan grumbled something about 'stupid kids' then remembered what he had set out to do: find Gambit and crush him. He wasn't going to hurt pretty boy as much as he'd liked to, but his conversation with Storm had clarified things for him, things he never would've thought of in his eagerness to seize the opportunity of beating up the Cajun heartbreaker whom he'd loathed since he'd swaggered into the Institute.

Logan swiped his claws through the door, then kicked the remnants down, treading on the matchsticks of wood scattered over the floor. Gambit didn't move a muscle – he remained, motionless, staring at the ceiling, his arms folded behind his head.

"Monsieur Logan, had y' knocked, I could've opened the door an' saved y' the hassle of breaking it into a thousan' pieces." Gambit said, tersely.

"What the hell did you do to Rogue?" Logan snarled.

"Ah! Y' break my door an' y' covered with oil? Where are the manners, mon ami? Don' y' drip on my floor!" Gambit replied, shooting Logan a filthy look before continuing staring at the ceiling.

Logan suddenly lunged at Gambit, grabbing him by the neck of his shirt and raising him off the bed and into Logan's face.

"What. The. HELL. Did. You. Do. To. Rogue." Logan snarled, emphasising each syllable and spitting into Gambit's face whenever he got the chance to.

Gambit kicked Logan in the stomach, winding him, and gracefully back flipped out of reach.

"Mon ami, if it be a fight y' want, y' coulda just said so! Why don' we be men an' take it outside?" Gambit asked, buoyantly, though the scowl said another thing.

"Why, ya need more room so ya can run away?" Logan growled, bent over but glaring at Gambit, eyes filled with excitement and rage.

"Excusez-moi, s'il vous plait, thought we could save the rest of my furniture."

"Ya stuff that important to ya? Don't want it broken? What about Rogue, huh? It's cool to let her get hurt – she's not a stinkin' chair!" Logan roared, lunging at the acrobatic New Orleans man, with his claws blazing.

"Get y' nose outta our business!" Gambit bellowed, leaping out to the other side of the room and grabbing his staff. "Isn' anythin' to do wit' y'!"

"It is when I see Rogue hurt!" Logan countered, turning and diving at Gambit again.

Gambit used his staff like a pole volt and hurled himself at Logan, feet first – his feet adorned with thick, black, buckled boots. Logan used his arms as a shielded and flung Gambit with such a force that Gambit crashed through his room wall, into the room next to him – which just so happened to be Evan's.

"Désolé, porc-épic." Gambit sighed, standing and brushing off the dust from his shoulders, before setting his sights on Logan again.

Gambit and Logan ran at each other, wrestling and brawled with each other for a while, before Logan finally gained the upper hand and pinned the enigmatic Cajun to the ground, one of his claws pressed, dangerously, against his neck.

"So, mon ami," Logan smirked in the poorest of French. "Gonna answer me now?"

"Y' think I meant t' hurt Rogue – went out just t' make her cry?" Gambit snarled, angrily. "I love dat girl! The reason why we fight is no one's business but our own! Gambit not telling y' anythin'!"

"Logan! No!" Jean cried, standing in the doorway.

She quickly used her telekinetic powers to pull Logan off of Gambit, and plonked him into the hallway, at her feet. Kurt, Jubilee, Kitty and Colossus stood behind her, gazing at the scene before them.

"What were you doing?!" She gasped.

"Gumbo and I were just having a chat." Logan replied.

"Yeah, we were. Don' worry, chérie, Gambit's okay." Gambit said, rising and dusting off himself again.

"Logan – uh – the professor is looking for you." Jean said, not taking her eyes off the rubble that were Evan and Gambit's rooms. "He wants to know where Rogue is."

"Uh, yeah, Mister Logan – vhere ist my sister?" Kurt squeaked.

Logan sighed and growled, his eyebrows furrowed and a frown pinning down the corners of his mouth.

"She's at a fishing hole I go to, at Cranapple Cove." Logan spat.

Kurt thanked Logan, quietly and fearfully, before transporting to Cranapple Cove with a pop and wisp of smoke.


	3. Chapter 3

The wind flittered through the trees and the bushes, the grass flickering like blades of emeralds. The sun glittered and beamed, its golden arms reaching out over Cranapple Cove, touching everything and making it all shine like crystals and gems.

Cranapple Cove was a little, beautiful, serene hideaway cut out of a clearing in a crowd of cranberry and apple trees, giving the cove and the woods their names (Cranapple Cove and Cranapple Forest), situated at the foot of a beautiful rise of small mountains. A medium sized lake, oval in shape, was shrouded by overgrowth, naturally decorated with brightly coloured flowers, neatly positioned amongst the wild grasses. At the mouth of the river was a little cave, inconspicuously cut into the face of a bundle of crooked rocky hills and mountains. The cave was reached by some stepping stones, leading to the sandy smooth base of the cave, the flooring made of centuries of crushed crumbled rock from the ceiling of the cave.

Sat on this sandy ground, hidden in the shade of the cove, was a beautiful girl. Her slender feet were dipped into the surface of lake, the only part of her tickled by the sunlight. Her toned body was covered in a tight green and yellow PVC suit, not unlike that of a skin tight motorbike outfit, the legs of the clothing rolled up to her knees. Yellow boots were laid beside her, half shaded by the cove, the other half glittering in the sun. Yellow gloved hands entangled together and rested on her knees. She wore a short brown jacket, unzipped, the jacket descending an inch or so above her waist. The sleeves were rolled up above her elbows. Long, wavy brown hair gently danced around her head, wisps of her white fringe flickering like ghostly flames against her peachy skin. Her lips were rose coloured and full, and she bit her bottom lip. Her rosy cheeks were stained with pink tracks were tears had cascaded, and her emerald green eyes shone with fallen tears.

"Rogue! Roogguuee!" Kurt called. "Vhere are you?"

"What the heck is he doing here?" The girl asked herself.

"Rogue?" Kurt called, transporting from different sides of the lake.

Kurt spotted the cove, but not the girl hidden in it.

"Oh," Kurt sighed, hopefully, under his breath, before transporting into the cove.

"Hi," Rogue smiled, softly, as her younger half-brother appeared beside her. "What ya doin' here, sugar?"

"Ah, Rogue, I found you! Vhat are you doing here?" Kurt asked, immediately surprised at having found her, before plopping himself in front of his sister, in the sun, the wind gently brushing through his blue fur.

"Ah wan'ed a bit o' peace." She replied, not hurtfully. "I take it you're the rescue squad?"

"I heard ze fight. I vas vorried about you! Zat fight sounded really bad – you left so upset, I've never seen you so upset before! I vanted to find out if you'd be okay, didn't vant you to hurt yourself or anything." Kurt replied, hesitantly.

"Ah appreciate the love." Rogue gave him a small, yet warm, smile.

A silence fell over the two siblings. Kurt turned and looked up, staring at the few clouds scattered across the cerulean sky. He turned his gaze to his older sister, who was still staring at the sun's broken reflection in the lake, gently breathing at the same pace as the cool breeze.

Rogue folded her legs, her wet feet no longer soaking in the sunlight. Her whole body was shrouded in shadow and her half-shut eyes were filling with tears. Kurt released a sigh and transported himself next to her in the shadow, rather than in front of her in the sunlight.

"Vat happened?" He asked, his voice soft and filled with concern.

"Ya so young, ya only sixteen. Ya won't understand." Rogue replied, without unkindness.

"You're only seven years older than me – what can seven years change?" Kurt persisted, tenderly.

Rogue released a deep sigh and let another small silence pass over them.

"Sometahmes ... sometahmes ya love someone but ... but sometahmes ya just shouldn' be with them, no matter how much ya care for them ... sometahmes the arguments get too much ... each word slicing into ya even deeper every tahme they come ... just one thing – just one thing! ... it leads to another, and then another, and then _wham_! There's an argument ..." Rogue explained, hesitantly, burying her face in her hands. "Ya just don' understand what it's lahke to not be able to touch – Ah mean, Ah can't even hold his hand! And yet ... yet, he don' care! He's lahke 'we're in love! Why should ya power get in the way of true love! Just give it a try – just one kiss! Let me hold ya hand, Rogue, lemme hold ya hand!' ... let me hold ya goddamn hand ..." Rogue punched the ground so hard, the lake shook as though a small earthquake had just happened, a tiny crater left where her fists had hit. "Oh, Ah'm sorry, Kurt, I got ya wet!"

Kurt had leaped up after a small wave of water had splashed onto his tail and legs. He smiled and told her not to worry about it.

"Vhy don't you vant to give it a try?" Kurt asked in a small voice.

"Because, Kurt, I've already put one boy into a coma, and I don' really wanna put the love of mah life into one!" Rogue cried. "Just because Ah love Remy doesn' mean he won't be affected by mah power. But he doesn' care ... I just don' want him hurt."

Kurt placed a three fingered hand on her knee and gazed at her with big, sympathetic eyes.

"Vat are you going to do, Rogue?"

"Ah don' know, Kurt, Ah just don' know ... All Ah do know is that Ah don' know if Ah can go back to that damn mansion." Rogue answered, sadly.

"Vat do you mean?" He gasped, urgently. "You can't mean you're not going to go back!"

"Kurt ... Ah just need some tahme ... Ah just can' go back ... not to Remy, not to anyone ... Ah just ... Ah need tahme ... to clear my head ... Ah want to come back to Remy and be able to ..." She released a wounded, bitter laugh. "Ah wanna come back to Remy and be able to touch his face, lah next to him and hold him, hold his hand ... kiss him ... Ah want to show him how much Ah love him ... he needs someone to hold him and kiss him and show him they care ... all Ah can do is tell him ... Ah can't lose him, Kurt, I just can'!"

"Rogue, you're being ridiculous! He vouldn't leave you for anyone and you know it." Kurt disagreed. "You can't leave!"

"Kurt, please ... just gimme some tahme ... Ah need this ... Ah need this for him and Ah need this for me. Please, let me leave ... just for a while ..." Rogue replied, gazing at him with big, deep, bright, emerald eyes, glistening and glittering with tears.

Kurt paused, crestfallen. He gazed at the lake and suddenly Cranapple Cove didn't seem as beautiful as it did before – in fact, it seemed dark and gloomy and he suddenly didn't want to be there any more.

"Vhere vould you go?" He asked, finally, the cruel silence too much for him to handle.

"Ah don' know ... With the way Shiro goes on about Japan, Ah might go there. Maybe France, too, gimme a chance to work on mah French for when Ah come back." Rogue gave him a watery smile. "Maybe Ah'll travel the world or something. Ah'm gonna need to, if Ah can find a cure for this damn power."

"Don't get hurt." Kurt replied. "Keep me in touch?"

"Ahlright." Rogue grinned, tears twinkling on her face. "But, could ya give me and mah bike a lift before Ah go?"

*

"Hey, pipsqueak, where's Rogue?" Logan spat.

"Did you find her, Kurt?" Charles Xavier asked.

"Yeah, I ... err, I found her." Kurt replied, timidly.

"Well, where the hell is she?" Logan growled.

"Err, well ... that's the thing. She's gone."

"What do you mean 'she's gone'?" Storm asked, surprised.

"She doesn't vant to come back just yet ... she vants some time alone." Kurt explained.

Xavier looked sharply at Kurt. Kurt released a sigh and allowed Xavier into his mind. Xavier peaked into Kurt's memories and watched his meeting with Rogue. Before Xavier spoke, Kurt asked him to not say anything to anyone – Rogue had asked him to keep her whereabouts, current and future, a secret.

"Very well." Xavier replied, smiling warmly at Kurt. "You may leave."

Kurt released a sigh of relief before vanishing. As soon as the German teen had vanished Logan lunged into the shadows and hurled Gambit across the room.

"Logan!" Jean gasped – Scott, Hank and Colossus ready to dive in and rescue the Cajun from the Canadian's claws.

"Forget it ... she's gone an' it's all thanks to Gambit." Gambit spat, heartbrokenly, his acrobatic mastery aiding him as he landed on his feet unharmed. He brushed off his jacket and stalked out of the room. "I deserve anything that mon ami has to give me." He added, despondently, as he left.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a month since Rogue had left the Institute. Gambit had spent all those days sitting in his room, brooding over her departure, wondering what the hell had gone wrong and how the hell they got so deeply in trouble. They had walked down such a treacherous path together, gloved hand in gloved hand, and Gambit wondered when they had come to the fork in the road and gone their separate ways. Rogue's sudden physical departure had caused him to rake through all of the thoughts in his mind, all of his memories, trying to figure out how everything went wrong. He was sick of sitting in his stupid bedroom, all the surfaces of drawers covered in pictures of himself and Rogue – one shelf of his bookcase completely filled with photo albums he and she had composed, packed with pictures of outings they had taken, including pictures Evan had taken on missions where Rogue and Gambit had fought side by side.

Gambit released a heavy sigh.

He wanted all the pictures of Rogue and him gone. He wanted the photo albums to disappear, he wanted his memories and his love for the Southern gal to diminish. He wanted to leave the prison cell that was his room, and he wanted to move on with his life. He was sick and tired of trying to work out what he could've said differently, what he should've done differently. He wanted to stop feeling guilty, stop feeling heartbroken ... he wanted, most of all, to stop feeling empty. This is why he kept the pictures up as though nothing had changed.

He dreamt all the dreams he'd had, before Rogue had left. In these dreams, he and Rogue lived happily together, they lived in a nice big house in the country, and they slept underneath the stars in the warm summer nights, lying next to a lovely, crystal clear, long lake that ran through their land. They listened to it twinkle and flow along, like a lullaby, as they held each other closely and fell asleep. The only difference to these dreams was that whenever he woke up, Rogue wasn't in his arms. Their home, their land, the whole fantasy swelled up inside a bulging black hurricane, and as he was sucked into the hurricane, all Gambit could see was Rogue floating upwards on a cloud of light, haloing her beautiful body. He'd scream after her, trying to get her to turn around and look at him, but she never did. She was carried off into the light, whilst he was dragged down into some hellish abyss, which is when he'd wake up in a cold sweat, screaming out her name.

His dream would swirl in his head, not unlike a hurricane, and he'd be trying to figure out what was reality and what was fantasy, all the while trying to understand why Rogue didn't turn around and look at him – he just wanted her to grab his outstretched hand and take him with her. He just wanted her to turn around and come back to him. He just wanted her to come back.

"Jeez, Gambit's really screwed over Rogue leaving. If it hadn't been for Storm going in everyday with food, he'd probably starve to death." Bobby said, after glancing at Gambit's yet again empty chair at the dining table, one breakfast.

"After he's finally stopped crying and got over it, he better remember what Auntie O's done for him." Evan scowled, still sore over the gaping hole in his room.

"Oh, come on, Evan, lighten up." Kitty scolded. "Like, you're still angry coz the hole isn't fixed."

"Damn right I'm still angry over that – every time Colossus tries to fix it, Gambit sends him flying with one of his damn cards. He doesn't want anything in his room to be any more different to how it was when Rogue was here. Doesn't he know what 'moving on' means?" Evan snapped.

"Stop being such an idiot!" Jubilee cried, slapping him on the back of his head. "You obviously don't know what it's like to be in love."

"If being in love means that my room is gonna get stunk up coz someone doesn't wanna shower or change or get a huge hole in my wall fixed, then I don't even wanna be in love!" Evan retorted, grumpily, rubbing the back of his head where Jubilee had hit him.

Kitty and Jubilee rolled their eyes and left the room, arm in arm, sighing 'men' loud enough for Evan to hear. They passed through the wall as Jean, Scott and Storm entered the dining room.

"Auntie O." Evan said, rising and turning to face the three, watching his aunt pick her breakfast from a long table, sat against the wall, laden with all sorts of breakfast foods. "When is my wall gonna get fixed?"

"I don't know," replied Storm, looking at him as she took a couple of pieces of toast from a pile and added butter to it. "Whenever Gambit is fit enough to leave his room, I suppose."

"Argh!" Evan cried, whacking the table with his fist. "That could be in ten years!"

"Be patient, boy." Storm answered, spooning marmalade onto her toast. "You don't understand how Gambit is – being heartbroken is a horrible thing. If Logan can give Gambit a break, can't you? Be patient, child, if not for Gambit, then for me."

Evan threw himself into his chair, again, and started poking at his eggs with his fork.

"Fine." He replied, huffily as Storm took a seat next to him.

"Good boy." Storm smiled.

*

The morning passed slowly for Gambit.

Logan was yet again out on his bike, searching around for Rogue. Kurt, not at all happy with his sister being gone, but in forced agreement with her decision, carried on as though she'd just gone on holiday – he finished his homework barely on time and continued messing about and scaring the girls as he popped in and out of rooms, mostly the kitchen and dining room, where he stole food.

In his room, which was four or five doors away from Gambit's, Kurt kept a secret stash of postcards and letters from Rogue. She had made him promise never to show Gambit these items, nor tell him where she was. From the different assortment of postcards she'd sent, Kurt had figured that she'd spend three or four days in each place, staying at a cheap motel before upping and going after not finding what she was after. Kurt had no idea, however, what it was that she wanted – all she'd say whenever he asked, was that she was 'looking for answers'. Occasionally Rogue would tell Kurt the address of a cafe she'd go to, at a specific time, and he'd teleport himself from the mansion, as inconspicuously as he could, and be at that cafe.

They had met up four times – once a week. She had asked him to be at Luke's, a tiny diner on the outskirts of California, at two o'clock, that particular day. The only way she'd be able to tell if he'd be able to meet her was whether he actually appeared there or not. They'd made a deal that if he was more than two hours late for their meetings at any of the chosen destinations, they wouldn't meet.

"Ah! I'm so tired!" Kurt faked yawning, poorly. "I think I vill go out into ze fresh air for a while, try and vake up a little."

"You seem to be getting 'very tired' and in need of 'fresh air' a lot at this time of day, for the past few weeks. What's going on with you?" Jean asked, suspiciously, she, Kurt, Scott, Jubilee and Bobby sat in the library, Scott and Jean helping Jubilee, Bobby and Kurt with unfinished homework.

"Ah, I don't know. Coincidence?" Kurt smiled, nervously.

"If you're looking for Rogue, you can tell us." Bobby said, putting a hand on the furry blue teen's shoulder.

"Vhat? I'm not looking for Rogue! I mean, I'd like to, but I can't, I've got homework-" Kurt began, getting himself in such a nervous frenzy. "I just need fresh air – see you!"

Kurt disappeared.

"Kurt's acting so weird." Jubilee said, running a hand through her short, spiky, blue-black hair, her face crinkled in confusion.

"Come on, he's always weird." Scott smiled, making the two teens laugh.

"He just wants to find his sister." Jean said, shortly, standing up and glaring at Scott. "He probably doesn't want anyone to help – he probably feels guilty that he let her leave in the first place. Wouldn't you feel that way if Alex suddenly did a runner?"

Jean left the library quickly and swiftly, her arms folded.

"What just happened?" Scott asked.

"I dunno dude, but you better find out soon otherwise Jean might do a Rogue." Bobby said, moving his hands as if to shoo him off in Jean's direction.

"We're twenty four – why is Jean acting like she's fifteen?" Scott sighed, still in shock that Jean had just stormed off because of the slightest thing he'd said.

"Time of the month maybe?" Bobby sniggered, watching Scott jog after Jean. "Hell yeah! No more stupid studying." He grinned, his arms folded behind his head and his legs outstretched and crossed on the table.

"Do you think Kurt's gone to Rogue?" Jubilee asked, contemplatively. "Ya know, to-"

"Kurt's gone t' Rogue?" Gambit asked, stepping into the library. "He knows where she is?"

"What? No, it's just-"

"Mon Dieu! What else has t' boy been hidin'?" Gambit spat, angrily running out of the room and leaping up the stairs to Kurt's room.

"Wait – Gambit!" Jubilee called after him, but it was too late.

Gambit blew up Kurt's bedroom door with an ace of spades card and started trashing the place, in search for anything that said where Rogue was. After successfully destroying his entire bedroom, the only place left to look was his walk-in wardrobe. Gambit ripped off the doors and pulled the clothes out, before ripping the shoe boxes from the top shelf. He emptied the shoe boxes contents, before something caught his eye. A few postcards and a few letters had fluttered onto the floor. Gambit stared at them before snatching them up.

Xavier, Storm, Logan, Jubilee, Bobby, Jean and Scott entered the trashed remains of Kurt's bedroom, finding Gambit sat upon a pile of Kurt's torn clothing with a pile of papers on his lap. In his hands Gambit held the latest postcard, having quickly scanned the rest of the papers in hopes of finding her whereabouts.

"The little blue sneak's been talking with her?" Logan growled.

"It seems so." Xavier replied, holding a hand to silence any more questions or comments the group had to say. "Gambit-"

"She's in California." Gambit finally said, interrupting the professor, his voice low yet hopeful. "Excusez-moi, mes amis, I'm going to follow our little furry friend and find Rogue."

Gambit pushed passed everyone and left. Logan and Scott had tried to grab him, but the professor had made them stop.

"What's the deal, Chuck?" Logan growled.

"He needs to do this." Xavier replied. "We can keep an eye on him, with Cerebro but for now I think we should let him go."

"It'll take weeks for him to get to California!" Jean exclaimed.

"No it won't." Scott snarled, staring out the window, pointing into the sky. "He's stolen the Blackbird."

Logan, Jubilee, Bobby and Jean jumped over to the window and watched Gambit and the stolen Blackbird shoot off into the distance at an incredible speed.

"Leave it, Scott. If anything needs to be done we'll just use the X-Jet." Xavier replied, Storm at his side.

"Ack! He even took the letters! Now we'll never know where Rogue is!" Scott cried, kicking Kurt's bed.

"She never wanted to be found, though, did she?" Storm replied, softly. "She left the Institute of her own free will. I wonder what she'll do now that Gambit has found her."


	5. Chapter 5

Rogue sat in Luke's Diner, one hand wrapped around a warm cup of chocolate, the other hand drumming on the table. Her stare was in the direction of the door, but her mind was elsewhere. She had chosen a booth right next to a window, with her back facing a wall. The counter was about three tables and chairs away from her booth and the owner, Luke, kept passing her suspicious glances.

Rogue was wearing a long, fake leather jacket, covered with pockets, zips and buckles. The collar of the jacket rose to hide half of her face – she kept the baggy hood down. The jacket was a fell a few inches above the floor as she walked, and it zipped up from the tip of the collar to her hips. Underneath this gorgeous, black, heavy garment, she wore long black, buckle and zip boots with a feminine heel over the top of a skin-tight black jumpsuit, not unlike her yellow and green one. Her hands were covered with plain, fake leather, black gloves that reached her elbows.

She fitted in, in California – where two out of five people sported outrageous outfits and hairstyles – however, in the Diner on the outskirts of California, she was someone Luke liked to keep an eye on, and everyone else would whisper about behind their hands. Rogue didn't care, however, she just wanted her brother to hurry up and appear – he was already an hour late.

"Maybe he's not comin'." Rogue sighed under her breath, taking a sip of her chocolate, before resting her head on her hand, staring out of the window.

"Who's not coming?" Kurt asked, appearing behind her.

"Oh, Kurt! Ya scared me half t' death!" Rogue grinned, before adding in a quick whisper, "Ya didn' just pop up _there_ did ya? Luke," she pointed at a tall man in a baseball cap behind the counter, "is real suspicious!"

"Oh, no," Kurt grinned proudly, pointing at the toilets over his shoulder. "I vas in the men's room."

"Hey, hey! When did you come in here?" Luke suddenly demanded, rushing over from behind the counter, a jug of coffee in one hand.

"Err – I just used the men's room." Kurt replied, nervously, starting to worry about how close Luke was to him – the watch on his wrist made him look like a human, but his furry body and three fingered hands, not to mention tail tucked into his trousers, said another thing.

"Ya buying anything?" Luke growled.

"Err-"

"He's with me, and yeah, we'll have another hot chocolate, please." Rogue smiled, rising and standing between the two.

Luke grunted 'fine' and left the two as he fetched Rogue's order.

"Phew!" Kurt grinned, throwing himself into the booth opposite Rogue. "Thanks for the hot chocolate!" He smiled, as Luke slammed the hot chocolate onto the table.

"No trouble, you two." He ordered, before skulking back to the counter.

"How come ya so late?" Rogue hissed as soon as Luke was out of ear shot.

"Ack! Do you know vhat it's like to only transport every ten miles? Normally I give myself an hour before visiting you, but I got held back by Scott and Jean." Kurt replied, slurping his hot chocolate messily.

"What? They held ya back? What did ya say to 'em?" Rogue asked.

"I said zat I needed fresh air."

Rogue smiled and let out a soft giggle.

"Ya need to think of more excuses – better ones. Maybe in mah next letter Ah'll give ya a list of good 'un's."

"Gracious knows I'll need zem." Kurt sighed. "Zey asked me if I vas looking for you! Zen ... zen I panicked and popped outta zer."

"Well ... at least ya didn't tell 'em what's goin' on." Rogue sighed, after a moment of deliberation. "So ... how's school – and the Institute? How's everybody?"

"School is dreadful, the Institute is ze same as ever, since you left and Gambit is still stuck in his room." Kurt said, keeping a strong link between his and Rogue's eyes. "If you vant to know how he is, you could just ask?"

"Ah came all this way t' get away from him, but he's all Ah think about." Rogue answered. "Ah want him, but Ah don't want him here with me. Ya hide mah letters alrahght?"

"Ja, I-"

"Woah! What the hell is that?!" Some of the customers screamed, staring outside.

A huge place stealth jet was landing in centre of the streets. Cars and trucks swerved out of the way, people started running into the nearest shops, only to shove their faces into the glass and watch what was happening.

The jet landed with ease, popping, gently, down on four retractable, silver legs. A trapdoor on the belly of the plane opened with a _whoosh_ sound, before patting down on the tarmac roads. The dust settled and the leaves stopped flapping about, just as the black booted feet were seen stepping out of the jet. The bottoms of a brown trench coat could be seen – soon enough the trench coat clad being was visible, stepping down from the jet – it was Gambit.

"Ah thought ya said ya'd hidden the letters!" Rogue hissed, throwing herself off the seat and hiding behind the booth, staring up a little at Gambit as he neared the Diner.

Rogue quickly grabbed Kurt's foot and pulled him under the table, too. The customers followed suit and ducked behind whatever furniture they deemed best to protect them, glancing at the mutant siblings and wondering why they were hiding from this tall man.

"Ack! I thought I did – unless he vent through my room-"

"Ya really think Gambit's _not_ gonna go through ya room? When he wants somethin', boy, he gets it." Rogue explained. "How the hell are we gonna do this?"

"Ah, err-"

The bell above the Diner door tinkled, as Gambit pushed open the door.

"Excusez-moi, mes amis, but have y' seen a beautiful woman and her little sneak of a brother? She's got brown and white hair." Gambit smiled, gazing around the room.

"She – she – she's over there!" Luke cried, pointing at the empty booth that Rogue and Kurt were hiding under.

"Merci, monsieur." Gambit replied, nodding in thanks at Luke, just as Luke dived behind the counter, again. "Rogue, why you hide from me, chérie?"

Rogue stood and gazed at Gambit, tears beginning to roll down her face. Kurt was still on the floor, hiding behind Rogue's legs.

"Get us outta here, Kurt." Rogue ordered.

"No – chérie – wait!" Gambit cried, diving over the other furniture to get to her.

It was too late. Kurt had transported them away – Gambit was too late.

"Goddamn it!" Gambit bellowed, kicking the booth and shattering it into pieces with one kick.

The customers ran out of Luke's Diner quickly and immediately, screaming on the top of their lungs 'Freaks! Monsters!'.

"I don' know why Rogue chose this place t' hide," Gambit said, finally composing himself. "Gambit thinks people here are awful rude."

He left the diner and returned into the Blackbird, starting her up and blasting out of the tiny little town within moments.

*

"Did you find Rogue, then?" Scott demanded, softly, as Gambit threw himself onto one of the armchairs in the living room.

"Oui,"

"Where is she?" Scott asked again.

"Gone."

"Is she okay?" Jean piped in.

"I dunno, chérie. A woman who runs from her true love can' be okay, can she?" Gambit answered.

*

"I can't go back to the Institute! Gambit vill kill me!" Kurt gasped, soon after they'd arrived in Germany – Kurt had done non-stop teleporting since the Diner incident, to get as much distance between him and Gambit as he possibly could.

"Ya can't stay here." Rogue replied, softly, grabbing Kurt and holding him still by his shoulders. "Ya gotta go back – ya got school on Monday."

"No I don't – as soon as Gambit sees me, I'm dead meet!" Kurt cried, hysterically.

"Ah promise, ya'll be fine." She comforted, giving him a hug. "Now, go. Ah'm gonna stay here for a while. If ya wanna talk to me, then just pop on over. Ah'm not gonna write ya no more – try an avoid instances lahke this." She smiled.

"Ah ... fine." Kurt replied. "Be safe. Ze monks of zis church will look after you. Don't vorry."

Rogue placed a hand on the top of Kurt's head and kissed it.

"Come and see me at some point, okay? Ah'll stay here for a couple months, so wait for five weeks before ya come 'n' say hey, alright?" Rogue smiled.

"Sure," Kurt nodded, before taking a deep breath and popping back to the Institute.

*

"There y' are!" Gambit yelled, as Kurt teleported right in front of Gambit's chair in the living room.

"Argh!" Kurt screamed, jumping and hiding behind Jean.

Gambit lunged at them, but Jean quickly blasted him with a piece of her mind and held him up in the air, ten feet above the floor.

"Where's Rogue? Why'd she run from me?" Gambit demanded.

"I promised not to say! She wants to find answers!" Kurt replied, his voice shaking with fear.

"Answers to what?" Gambit yelled.

"Her powers! She vants to hold your hand – kiss you." Kurt answered, staring at the floor.

"What?" Gambit replied, completely losing all his anger at Kurt for hiding away Rogue. "What's she gonna do wit' her powers?"

"I ... I don't know. She just vants to hold your hand ... she's tired of not being able to ... she vants to stay avay, so she can sort zis ... she vants to come back to you, and be able to touch your skin." Kurt replied, destroying his promise to not relay information to Gambit.

Gambits jaw dropped, and Jean lowered him to the floor. No one said anything.

"You mean ... Rogue's gonna ... get rid of her powers?" Kitty gasped.


	6. Chapter 6

Rogue wandered around the church, her heels clicking and echoing off the heavy, cold stone walls. Every inch of the massive church was shrouded in shadow and darkness – it gave Rogue shivers down her spine. She drew her long coat back around her, looking around and trying to peak through the darkness and make things out.

"So, this is where the furry blue one got brought up," Rogue noted to no one but herself. "Damn, Mystique. Ah got a nice little home in Mississippi ... then a nice little hole of a home in the Brotherhood of Mutants ... and what did he get? A creepy church with no central heating. Favouritism or what?"

"Was machst du hier? Wie haben Sie uns gefunden?" A hurried, urgent voice demanded from the shadows.

Rogue spun around and tried to spy the belonger of the voice, through the darkness. She finally spotted him – a small, old, silver haired monk.

"Err – hi ... Ah don't speak German – mah little brother does, but ... urm ... Ich spreche kein Deutsch ... was that right?" Rogue answered, stumbling over her words.

"Ack, child, you're nervous. Vhy?" The monk replied, smiling and releasing a jolly laugh.

"Well ... It's not lahke Ah've never been in a church before – Ah'm a Southern Baptist, o' course Ah've been to church ... it's just ... meeting preachers an' nuns and stuff ... Ah get nervous around 'em." Rogue explained, feeling stupid with every word she spoke – the only thing to do was laugh.

The monk laughed with her.

"I'm no different to anybody else – I'm not going to judge you." The monk replied, pausing for the two to share smiles. "Now, earlier on I asked 'vhat are you doing here?' and 'how did you find us?'."

"Ah came here for sanctuary ... just for a little while. As for how Ah found ya, mah little brother, Kurt, was raised here ... ya might remember him ... he's blue." Rogue answered.

"Ah, yes!" The monk beamed, stars twinkling in his eyes at the memories of Kurt rushing through his mind. He and Rogue made their way down the aisle, talking, slowly nearing the altar. "It's been a long time since I last saw Kurt. Gave us quite a shock vhen he first arrived. How is he?"

"Same as ever," Rogue grinned. "Getting his foot in the middle of everything, _just_ getting by in school, and goofing off at every possible chance ... he's doin' good."

"Haha, I'm glad to hear it. Now, the sanctuary you are after ... zer is a reason vhy this church is hidden from ze public." The monk watched Rogue's face fall. "_But_, any friend – let alone sibling – of Kurt is more zan velcome here."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Rogue grinned.

"Zer are a few things I must insist on, however. Follow me, we'll get you some different clothes to vear. I don't vant ze other monks to be staring at you." The monk joked.

"So, you're where Kurt got his sense of humour, huh?" Rogue blushed.

Minutes passed and soon enough, Rogue had been giving a deep red robe and a gold rope to tie around her waist. She spent the following couple of hours helping the monk tidy the church, before the both of them went up into one of the spires and gazed over the German mountains from their balcony view. Everything seemed dark and miserable, but a little light brewed from a candle stick, set inside a lantern. It flickered just for the monk and Rogue – reminding Rogue how much she missed home.

"So, tell me. Vhy do you need sanctuary?" The monk asked.

"Ah need to lay low for a little while. Ah just need a little bit of piece and quiet ... ultimately, after a couple of months, Ah wanna go out into the world and fahnd someone to take away mah powers." Rogue answered.

"Your powers?" The monk questioned, confused.

"Yeah. See, Kurt got the teleporting power, not to mention the two toes on each foot an' the blue fur, but Ah got a different power ... the worst power in the world, Ah reckon." Rogue explained, sadly.

"You inherited from your father, Kurt from your mother?" The monk smiled, jokingly.

"He definitely inherited from our momma." Rogue growled, spitefully. "His momma adopted me when Ah was young. Mah real momma died when I was only a baby. Mah daddy turned into an alcoholic mess an' left me with Aunt Carrie, least that's what we called her – she was called Irene Adler – the mutant, Destiny ... she raised me with Mystique – Kurt's momma. Kurt an' Ah aren't blood siblings, but we call ourselves half-siblings, anyhow."

"You speak Mystique's name with such hatred. Vhy is that?" The monk questioned, softly.

"She was only using me for what she wanted – mah power can kill if Ah just hold onto someone ... Ah put two people in coma's already in mah life ... Ah nearly killed the first boy to ever lahke me, and I nearly killed a woman called Carol Danvers ... Ah took all her powers ... endurance, stamina, flight, physical durability, a seventh sense ..." Rogue sighed, deeply, before clearing her throat. "Mystique didn't care what the heck was going on in mah mind, as long as Ah was doing what she wanted. She didn't care about any of the different people in mah head ... all driving me insane ... she just didn't care! Why should Ah lahke someone who didn't give a damn about me?"

"Don't speak such silly vords. Of course she cared for you! All mothers do!" The monk scolded, gently.

"Ah suppose next ya gonna tell me she cared for Kurt, too." Rogue replied, rolling her eyes.

"Vhen she gave him to me, she was crying hysterically." The monk explained, gazing into the distance. "She muttered something about 'loosing one' and 'shouldn't be allowed to have another'. She begged me to protect Kurt – on her knees, crying."

"Loosing one?" Rogue asked, her voice small and high.

"Loosing a child, shouldn't be allowed to have another child. She said that I would to a better job of raising her son than she could." The monk explained, painfully. "So sad, so sad. She vas terribly distraught, vhich is vhy we took Kurt in. I alvays assumed she vas going in search of her lost child. Maybe zat vas you?"

"It couldn't have been, Kurt was a baby when he came here, and Ah was seven." Rogue said, crinkling her forehead in confusion.

"Maybe you should talk to your Irene Adler. I think ze reason vhy Mystique gave us Kurt vas so that she could focus on you, not loose you." The monk said, mysteriously.

"Fat load of help that did. She just has two kids who hate her." Rogue spat.

"You should learn to forgive, child. Grudges are horrible things." The monk sighed.

The cold breeze flowed over them and the two were silent for a long time, their identical robes flicking into the night.

"Vhy do you vant your powers gone?" The monk asked, breaking the silence.

"... Ah'm in love with someone." Rogue explained, slowly. "And Ah want to show him Ah love him. Ah've only ever touched two people – Ah kissed Cody and he's been in a coma for ten years and Ah touched Ms. Marvel and stole her powers and she nearly died, too. Ah wanna get rid of my damn powers so Ah won't hurt Remy. Ah love him so much ..."

"Child, you should accept every gift God gives you – there is a reason for them all." The monk said, Rogue's big, sad eyes twinkling with tears as she gazed at him. "_But_, I do know of a doctor named Dr. Adler, over at the Muir Island Mutant Research Centre. Vhen Kurt vas a baby, ve thought of contacting Dr. Adler, because it was rumoured he was near on completeing ze cure. Ve knew Kurt vould be feared because of his demonic appearance. It's been sixteen years since zat day and from vhat I hear the cure is fully developed. I'm glad ve didn't use the cure on Kurt – he visited us a year ago and he's never been happier vith himself. You should truly think of vhat the consequences vill be, before you go to Muir Island."

"There's a cure? An actual cure?" Rogue gasped, excitedly. "Ah've been thinking of this cure all mah life – Ah've never been so sure of anything ever before!"

"Stay here for two months. Zen, if you still vant to use the cure, you can go to Muir Island. Is zat alright?" The monk bargained.

"Yes. Ah've been waiting for twenty-three years, god knows Ah can wait another two months." Rogue smiled.

"Good. Now come, I'll show you to your room." The monk said, leading her down the spire and through the church.

They both went outside and the only thoughts flashing through Rogue's mind was the cure and how she could finally be free of her cursed powers. She followed the monk with her mind in the clouds as he led her to a tiny stone building, almost unseen, at the foot of a mountain. He showed Rogue her bedroom, separate from the other monks. It was a small, musky and dusty room, but Rogue didn't care – _there was a cure!_

The monk left Rogue alone, lying on her depleted bed, gazing at the ceiling and thinking of the cure. He shut the huge, heavy oak doors behind him, locked them, and leant against them.

"I'm so sorry." The monk whispered, kneeling in a pew. "I'm so sorry, Rogue."

The red robe changed. Within a blink of an eye, the monk had changed into a beautiful red-haired, blue skinned, yellow eyed woman, wearing a slinky white outfit and long white boots.

"I'm so sorry Rogue, forgive me ... I'm sorry for hurting you ... I'm sorry for what's about to happen to you ... I'm sorry for the lies you're believing ..." Mystique whispered, holding her hands in prayer and praying, silently, tears rolling down her face.


	7. Chapter 7

"No poppin' off t' see Rogue, then, eh, monsieur?" Gambit questioned, harshly, watching Kurt nibble at his toast, meekly.

"Ack ... no, eh ... I'm not." Kurt replied, holding his toast like a little, crumbly shield.

"I hear now is about t' time you vanish off t' go see her, though," Gambit continued, his bacon butty remaining untouched since he had made it. "Not goin' t' any cafes then, no?"

"No ... Rogue asked me not to visit her or a vhile." Kurt replied, hesitantly.

"Really? Mon Dieu, what a shame. Why is that?" Gambit replied, continuing speaking to Kurt with bitterness.

"She ... she vants to get settled into vhere she is now." Kurt answered, his hand starting to shake.

"An' where's dat?" Gambit interrogated.

"I – I –" Kurt stuttered.

"Ya can't tell me, huh, monsieur?" Gambit spat, smiling resentfully.

"I promised." Kurt justified, pathetically.

"Oh, Gambit, leave him alone. Like, he's only doing what his _sister_ asked him to do. Like, give him a break." Jubilee said, pulling up a seat next to Kurt and slamming her overflowing plate onto the dining table.

"Ah, petite! Dis aint your fight. Why you wanna get involved?" Gambit answered, his glare permanently fixed at Kurt.

"Because you're blaming Kurt! It's not his fault." Jubilee answered, cutting her eggs and scooping them onto her fork.

"Dis aint Gambit's fault, either. Gambit just wants Rogue back."

"We all do, child." Storm said from higher up the table. "But she has chosen to leave us for a while. I think we all owe her some solitude, if that's what she wants."

"Why she want solitude from Gambit, though?" He replied, dropping his glare and staring at his plate. "What did Gambit do?"

"Zat's ze thing, though!" Kurt exclaimed, teleporting himself to perch on the empty chair next to Gambit. "She vants to do this for you – not to spite you! She vants to make things right."

"I thought things were pretty right before though, mon ami. Every couple argues. Why she wanna change things? Why she wanna change 'em alone?"

Kurt slumped down in his chair, sadly, gazing at the table.

"I don't know."

Silence fell over the table.

"When ya seein' her next?" Gambit asked, softly.

"A month's time." Kurt answered.

"I'll give ya a letter." Gambit said. "Ya gotta give it to her. No readin' it, though, bien?"

"Ja, of course." Kurt answered.

Gambit gave Kurt a half-smile, taking his bacon butty into his hands and taking a bite. Kurt popped back over to his seat, perking up a little bit, and finishing his toast and a few more besides. Half an hour of happy chatting passed, before Gambit rose from the table, striding over to Kurt.

"Désolé, mon ami, for all the trouble I've put ya through." Gambit apologised, holding his hand out.

Kurt had ducked, thinking Gambit was going to slap him round the back of his head. Kurt giggled, embarrassedly, before taking Gambit's hand.

"No problemo!" Kurt grinned. "You tell me when your letter is ready and I'll take it to her as soon as the time comes."

"Best get goin', then – Gambit's got a letter to write." Gambit beamed, grabbing his empty plate and coffee cup and dumping them on the dirty dishes tray. "Au revoir."

Everyone at the table released sighs of relief. The tension between Gambit and Kurt had lifted – all they needed, now, was Rogue back and everything would be back to normal.

*

It had been three weeks since Rogue had been granted asylum in the German monastery. The first night she had spent at the monastery, she had found herself a piece of grubby paper and a quill and ink.

"Boy, these monks sure don't like the outside world." Rogue had noted, examining her finds. "They don' even like new technology – like pens and electricity."

She had written a letter to Kurt, and, the next day, the kind monk from before had taken the letter into town and posted it for her. It had taken almost a month for the letter to arrive at the Institute. When it arrived, however, it was a surprise to Kurt.

_Dear Kurt,_

_I think I've found my answer – in fact, I know I have. I want ya to come to me as soon as ya possibly can. And ... I was wondering if ya could bring Gambit along, too. I know I caused a lot of mess these last couple of months, but I don't need to run anymore. I've found what I'm looking for, and I want Gambit with me. I want you there, too. This is important to me, and I want the people I love most in the world to be with me when I take the plunge. I'd ask Storm, Wolverine, Charles, Jubilee and the others, but I don't want a crowd, ya know? I don't think the lab being busier than a bee hive would help what's gonna happen._

_Thanks, Kurt, I can't wait to see ya._

_Love,_

_Rogue_

Kurt immediately popped up to Gambit's room – the hole in the wall finally fixed and plastered, like nothing had ever happened, to Evan's delight. Gambit sat opposite the window, at his desk, labouring over the longest letter Kurt had ever seen.

"I've something to show you." Kurt beamed.

"Wanna knock next time, mon ami, save giving people heart attacks that way." Gambit smiled, taking the letter Kurt offered him. "This is from Rogue!" Gambit exclaimed, recognising the handwriting immediately.

"Read it! Read it!"

Gambit read it, his eyes alight. Slowly, though, his face dropped as he neared the end of the short letter.

"She found a way to get rid of her powers?" Gambit asked, rereading the letter again and again.

"Err, ja." Kurt answered, confused at why Gambit wasn't happy for her. "She vants to see you – she vants you there as it happens."

Gambit sighed. He signed his letter and added a postscript at the bottom of his long letter. He slipped it, delicately, into an envelope and slipped something else in there, too. He wrote Rogue's name on the front of the envelope before putting the letter into his inner pocket of his jacket.

"Let's go, mon ami." Gambit said, giving back Kurt's letter and holding, firmly, onto Kurt's shoulder.

"Eh, right." Kurt answered.

With a pop and wisp of smoke they transported out of the room. Kurt's letter had dropped from his hand and had fluttered to the floor, like a moth, by the time the two had vanished.


	8. Chapter 8

Gambit and Kurt, after two hours, appeared outside the church, facing the huge oak doors. Gambit's jaw dropped at the immensity of this hidden religious treasure.

"Shall we go in?" Kurt grinned, pleased at the surprise and intrigue on Gambit's face.

"How'd you find this place, mon ami?" Gambit gasped, trying to see the tips of the spires, which reached, like arms, up into the sky and out of sight.

"This is where Mystique left me." Kurt answered. "This is where I was raised since I was a baby."

Kurt grabbed Gambits wrist, giggled, cheerfully as Gambit stared at him with wide, fascinated eyes, and transported them into the church, their backs inches away from the doors. Kurt, who was raised in the church, found the church nothing new, but was pleased with the wonderment and disbelief on Gambit's face. Gambit was absolutely astonished at the size of the church, the beauty of the looming darkness, carving the pews and altar in the greyest light, the ornate Catholic sculptures with infinite, unsurpassed, supreme detail. Gambit was a Catholic and, once every so often, went to church – though, in the months since Rogue had vanished he had visited the Church a lot more often than he ever had before. He had never seen a church as incredible as the one he stood in.

"Rogue," Gambit breathed, noticing the long, wavy, messy brunette hair, with the thick white fringe tangling with the brown.

Gambit hurriedly made the sign of the cross after his eyes darted around the place, looking for the nearest crucifix (which just so happened to be the biggest most detailed crucifix he'd seen, hanging from the left side of the church, above metal shelves filled with lit tea candles), and ran down the church towards Rogue.

Rogue was sweeping the floor of the church, in front of the altar, whilst the silver haired monk was stood on a stepping ladder, wiping down the gold, bronze and silver tabernacle, making it glint as bright as the sun.

"Rogue!" He called out, his foot steps echoing like bombs, around the church.

Rogue turned around and looked at what all the commotion was about, before realising it was Gambit and Kurt.

"Remy!" Rogue cried out, leaping into the air and flying towards Gambit.

He grabbed her and they held each other tightly, both of them never wanting to release each other. The months apart had seemed like centuries to them both.

"Hey, calm down you two, this is a church!" Kurt cried, indignantly.

"Hush up, you blue ball of fluff!" Rogue grinned, releasing Gambit and taking her brother into her arms for a quick hug. "Thank you for bringing him to me." She whispered into Kurt's ear.

"So, what's dis Gambit hears about you findin' answers, chérie? Why'd ya finally stop running from me?" Gambit asked, the empty hole inside him filled with the abundance of happiness, now that Rogue was before him, beaming up at him.

"Well, sugah," Rogue stopped suddenly and turned to face the monk. "Father, can I talk to Remy elsewhere – somewhere we can be alone?"

"Definitely," the monk smiled. "Follow me – you can go into the confessional boxes."

Gambit and Rogue followed the monk, whilst Kurt was left standing before the altar. He looked up at the crucifix, bigger and more ornate than any other inside the church, hanging over the altar.

"God, please let Rogue be okay. Please look after her." He prayed, his eyes gazing at the figure, every inch of his being filled with anticipation, anxiety and drips of fear. "Please don't let her get hurt."

*

Silence fell over the two in the confessional boxes. Rogue held her hands together and stared at the wooden floor of the confessional box. Gambit peered in at Rogue, his view of her impaired by the wood and shapes of the separating window, used to conceal the identity of the sinner as they tell the priest their sins. He held Rogue in his sights, his heart happy to be with her again, yet in disagreement of Rogue's decision.

"Ya know, sugah ... all Ah've ever wanted since Ah met ya, was to hold ya in mah arms, skin on skin, and never let ya go. Ah can never do that coz of my damn power and now ... now we're finally reunited an' not only have we got mah power separating us, but we also got this damn confessional window in the way. Am Ah ever gonna be able to touch you?" Rogue whispered, lifting her gaze to Gambit, wisps of hair beautifully flittered about her face, like she was windswept.

"We'll be able to touch someday, chérie, ya just gotta be patient. We can't rush dis – ya gotta learn to handle ya powers first, and when ya can finally and completely master 'em, we can touch." Gambit smiled, warmly.

"Ah don' wanna be patient, Remy! I wanna rush this – I wanna be with you. Ah don' know what use mah powers are, anyway, whether Ah can handle 'em or not." Rogue gushed.

"The flyin' can get ya passed the traffic at rush hour – I think dats pretty useful."

"Be serious, Remy." Rogue replied, her mouth twitched into the tiniest smile she was trying to hold back.

"If ya get rid of ya powers, ya getting rid of a huge part of ya life. Ya won' be you again, chérie. Ya'll not be Rogue no more."

"No, Ah'll be plain old Anna Marie – the girl who doesn't steal people's lives and minds." Rogue replied, the thought of being normal comforting her into a smile.

"But I love Rogue." Gambit said, quietly, holding a hand against the window.

"But ya wanna kiss me so much – and Ah can't! Ah'll hurt ya so bad if Ah do!" Rogue cried. "Ah'm doing this for you – for _us_!"

"Ever thought that Remy don' mind what happens if he kisses you? Maybe loosing his powers for a while is worth it, no?" Remy smiled.

Rogue placed her hand up against the window, the tips of her fingers pressed through the holes, against Gambit's fingers.

"Hush up, ya nasty Cajun." Rogue replied after a little while of silence. "Ah'm doin' this for me, too. Ah never asked for these powers, and Ah don' want 'em anymore. Ah'm getting the cure. The reason why Ah wanted ya here is because Ah want ya support in this."

"Rogue, baby, chérie. Ya always got my support no matter what ya do. I don' agree with ya choice, but I'll support ya, definitely." Gambit smiled at her, his voice soft and sweet.

Rogue beamed at him and flung open the door of her confessional box. She opened Gambit's and wrapped her arms around his neck. Gambit hugged the flying Southern belle, kissing her head.

"Ah love you." Rogue smiled.

"I love you, too." Gambit smiled back.

Rogue placed her hand over Gambit's lips and kissed the back of her hand.

"Hey, soon we won' need mah hand in the way." Rogue grinned, tears rolling down her face and into her smile.

"I'm looking forward to it." Gambit grinned.

*

"Professor!" Jean cried, dashing into Xavier's study. "It's Kurt and Gambit and Rogue – they're going to Muir Island!"

"Muir Island?" Xavier spluttered.

"Yes – they've developed a 'cure' to mutant powers, there. Rogue's going to get the cure." Jean explained, handing the letter to Xavier.

"That's impossible – there's no such thing as a cure to the X gene." Xavier replied, staring at the letter.

"What?" Jean gasped.

"The closed thing to a 'cure' to rid mutants of the X gene is ... it's a terrible machine that drains the powers from the mutant and ... and if the gene isn't put back into the mutant after three days, they'll die. There are no symptoms – they'll think the 'cure' has worked ... we have to save Rogue before she makes a terrible, deadly mistake."


	9. Chapter 9

Logan, Kitty, Jubilee, Shiro, Evan, Storm, Scott, Jean, Bobby, Piotr, Hank and Alex assembled around Cerebro, manned by Xavier, in their battle gear. Everyone was ready prepared for action, itching to leap into the Blackbird and find Rogue before it was too late.

"I can't understand why Rogue would just do this!" Scott exclaimed for the third time since he'd heard the explanation for the sudden mission.

"Like, what's there to understand? She hates her powers – like, it's not like she tried to keep that a secret." Kitty answered, her voice small, low and filled with worry.

"I hate my powers sometimes, but I'm not running to the nearest 'scientist' to get my powers removed." Scott replied, huffily.

"Listen here, bub," Logan suddenly roared, grabbing Scott by the neck of his outfit and pinning him against a wall, his other hand raised, claws unsheathed, only inches away from Scott's neck. "I don't care why Rogue's doing this – fact is, we gotta go 'n' save her. If you have a problem with saving her, tell me now and I'll kill ya so fast, no one will have a chance of savin' you!"

"Logan, please." Xavier said, calmly, though his face was lined with anxiety. "Put Scott down – both of you calm it. I'm trying to concentrate and locate a friend."

Logan threw Scott to the ground, giving him a quick nip on his face with one of his claws.

"_Of course_ I want to save Rogue – she's part of the family here. I just don't understand why she'd try and get rid of her powers – especially without consulting any of us here, first. I mean, we're her friends – she should talk to us about this stuff." Scott tried to explain.

"There's a lot of thing's Rogue hasn't shared with us, though, like her name for instance." Evan noted.

"Yeah ... but ... she's always here for us – she's still part of the family, like. She saves our backs as much as we've saved hers." Jubilee chimed in.

"Rogue has wanted to get rid of her powers since she was a girl and first discovered them." Storm explained, mysteriously. "In her opinion, her powers are more of a curse than any of us could imagine. I believe she didn't mean to keep this a secret from us: this was just the opportunity of a lifetime to her and, in her haste, she leapt at it without telling anyone."

"Without telling anyone but elf boy and Gumbo, ya mean." Logan grumbled.

"Yes," Storm agreed. "Kurt, the only remaining family she has and Gambit, the man she'd truly give her life for, let alone her powers."

"Storm ... do you ... do you think she'll care that she'll die after three days of having no powers?" Bobby asked, quietly.

Storm didn't answer, she just moved her glance to the floor and kept it there.

"Storm?" Jean urged, timidly.

"Nyet. Zis is vhat Rogue vants more zan anytheen. Vhy vould she vorry about zree days life vhen her dreams vould come true?" Piotr answered, softly, filling Storm's silence.

"No, Rogue can't do that – she couldn't do that. Could she?" Alex gasped.

"She love Gambit so much?" Shiro questioned. "She give up life?"

"That's why we're doing this mission, kids." Logan intervened. "To stop Rogue from makin' the biggest mistake of her life."

"Okay," Xavier interrupted the growingly depressive and darkening conversation. "An old friend of mine named Moira MacTaggert will meet you at these coordinates." Xavier handed Storm a piece of paper. "Hurry, please, but, whatever you do, you can't force Rogue anything she doesn't want to do – respect her decisions, just make sure she knows all of the consequences."

"Sorry, Chuck, but I'm not letting her die." Logan growled. "Whether she likes it or not. Come on! Let's go."

Logan swiftly sped out of the room to the Blackbird. Everyone's faces, but Storm's and Xavier's, had gone from fearful to downright misery and despondency.

"Save her." Charles whispered in a low voice. "She has the right to choose and I know she'll make the right one. Just, please, give her the right to decide what to do."

"We'll be here, at Cerebro, keeping an eye on you." Hank added. "If you need anything," he nodded to Jean. "Let us know – we'll come in the X-Jet as soon as possible."

"I'll be splitting you all into two groups. Team A will be going to Muir Island – team B will be the rescue group. If we don't here from team A within twelve hours, we'll send team B to investigate." Xavier said.

"Team A – the group going to Muir Island, now," Hank said, straightening his glasses as he read from a list. "Will be Wolverine, Storm, Jubilee, Cyclops, Jean and Shadowcat. Team B – Spyke, Iceman, Havok, Colossus, Sunfire and I."

"What?!" Spyke, Iceman and Havok gasped in unison. "How come we're in Team B?!"

"We have no time to argue now." Xavier scolded. "Team A – to the Blackbird, now."

*

"It's been a long time, Kurt." The monk said, taking a seat at the pew opposite the altar. "How have you been?"

"I've been ... better." Kurt answered, sitting next to him. "I ... I'm not sure if Rogue losing her powers is a good idea. I mean, of course she really vants to but ... but I ... I've got a bad feeling about all this."

"Love is a powerful thing. It makes people do all sorts of crazy things. Makes people change their lives completely if only for the love of another. Your mother loved you very much, vhich is vhy, vhen she van forced to leave you, she gave you to a good home." The monk explained.

"Ack, I don't vant to talk about Mystique. It's bad enough my sister is losing her powers, let alone having to think about vhy zat voman did and does anything." Kurt replied, waving his hand as though he was batting away flies.

"I'm just saying zat, even though your mother has done wrong in ze past, and will do wrong in ze future, she does love you and vill never stop." The monk persisted. "Remember the fifth commandment, Kurt."

"_Honour thy mother and thy father_?" Kurt recited, confused.

"Remember Exodus 20:12, Proverbs 1:8 and Proverbs 31:26 – 31." The monk added, a firm, sorrowful gaze kept on Kurt.

"Exodus 20:12 - Honour your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Proverbs 1:8 - Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Proverbs 31:26-31 - She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." Kurt recited.

The monk grinned at Kurt, pride in his eyes.

"You still read the bible, I can tell." The monk smiled, Kurt nodding in return. "Then you know that forgiveness is a very important lesson the bible tries to teach us. If the Lord can forgive us for all of our sins, can you not forgive your mother?"

Kurt stared at the ground, silence falling over the two. The monk rose and kissed Kurt on the head.

"Matthew 6:14 – 15 – if you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Luke 6:37 – judge not and ye shall not be judged, condemn not and ye shall not be condemned, forgive and ye shall be forgiven. Ephesians 4:32 – and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." The monk said, before turning his back and disappearing somewhere in the depths of the church.

Kurt, forlorn and confused, his mind buzzing with all sorts of thoughts, bent down at the pew and began to pray.

About twenty minutes into his prayers, Kurt heard Rogue and Gambit returning. Kurt finished his prayers and rose from the pew. Rogue had a huge grin on her face and was holding Gambit's gloved hand in hers. Kurt couldn't make out the emotion on Gambit's face – it was a mixture between hope and displeasure.

"Are you really getting rid of your powers?" Kurt asked, quietly.

"Yeah, Ah am." Rogue beamed. "Ah'll never have ta steal anyone's powers or hurt anyone again. The only person inside mah head's gonna be me."

Kurt looked to Gambit and Gambit turned away.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked again.

"Yeah, Ah am." Rogue repeated, her smile dropping. "Don' worry about this, Kurt. Ah promise Ah'll be fine. Gosh, ya almost as bad as Remy."

Kurt gave her a small smile before holding his hands out.

"Let's go then, ja?" He asked, piping up a little bit. "I've never been to Scotland before."

"Well ya goin' now!" Rogue grinned, grabbing his hand.

"Take it easy this time, oui, mon ami? The ride here was bumpy and Gambit couldn't find no seatbelt." Gambit said, placing a hand on Kurt's shoulder whilst desperately holding onto Rogue's hand.

"I make no promises!" Kurt grinned, before the three disappeared.

From the moment the three had transported onto their way to Muir Island, the monk stepped out of the shadows. Again, the robe disappeared and the monk grew taller, the skin became blue and red hair fell down the shoulders. Mystique stood to the side of the church, gazing at the profile of the crucifix.

"Forgive me father, for I have sinned." Mystique whispered, before changing her shape into a crow and swiftly flying out of a hole in the wall of the highest stained-glass window above the altar.


	10. Chapter 10

Kurt, Rogue and Gambit arrived after ten minutes of teleporting, onto the soft, damp grounds of Muir Island. A harsh, cold wind whipped the choppy sea surrounding the Island and the darkness of the sky shrouded everything in black. Gambit took a card from his inside pocket, briefly pausing to feel the envelope still in there – the letter he had written to Rogue. He wasn't ready to give it to her just yet.

"It's a little dark here, no?" Gambit said as he lit up the card and holding it over in front of them. "Dieu merci! At least kinetic energy don' get put out by the rain. Any idea where we gotta go?"

"Ah think we gotta go there." Rogue said, pointing into the darkness.

In the centre of the small Island, the outline just noticeable by the pinkish orange light of Gambit's energised card, was a large silver building, a cross between a castle and a laboratory. Rogue took in a deep breath.

"Come on, what ya waitin' for, Christmas?" Rogue smiled, taking a few steps towards the building. "Let's go!"

Gambit was the first to make a move toward Rogue.

"Kurt, what's the matter?" Rogue asked.

"Eh, err ... nothing. Let's go." He replied. "I'm just tired from all ze teleporting."

"Take a break. Ah got this covered." Rogue grinned, wrapping an arm around each of their waists and flying into the air. "Flyin's just as good as transporting, sugah."

By the time the three managed to get to the building, the rain had turned into a vicious storm and all three of them were completely drenched and frozen to the bone.

"What a nice day to do this." Rogue said, sarcastically.

"We waitin' to knock or for them to hear us at the door?" Gambit asked, energising another card, ready to slip it into the hinges of the door.

"Be a gentleman, Remy." Rogue scolded. "We gotta knock, it's polite."

Rogue knocked so hard on one of the huge tungsten metal doors that it fell from the door frame, its hinges shattered, and an explosive bang booming through the snow white foyer.

"What happened to bein' polite? Last time I knew, breakin' someone's door down wasn't polite, or am I just wrong again, cher?" Gambit smiled.

"Don't know mah own strength sometimes." Rogue winked before entering the building and calling into the foyer, the bang quietened down. "Hey! Sorry about the door. Anyone home?"

Before she could say anything else, troops of armed security guards flooded into the foyer and from somewhere behind them, blocking the three, back to back, in the centre of the foyer.

"Well, what do we have here? The welcoming committee?" Rogue said, checking around them.

"Don't look too welcoming though. Maybe they sent the wrong committee, no?" Gambit growled, glaring at the soldiers.

"I don't care vhat type of committee this is – I don't vanna get on the wrong side of these guys!" Kurt cried, glancing around, hurriedly.

Gambit started reaching into his pocket.

"I don't recommend moving a muscle, sir." A voice said from the stairwell. "It might very much be the last thing you do."

"Is that a threat, mon ami?"

"No." The man said, appearing into their sight. "Consider it a promise."

"S'cuse me, mister, but Ah don' think this is the right way to treat ya guests." Rogue interrupted, flying into the air. "In fact, Ah think ya being mighty rude."

She grabbed him by his collar and brought him into the air with her.

"Now," she smiled, sweetly. "Ya gonna make ya toy soldiers find another place to play while you an' Ah have a little chat. Ya are Dr. Adler, right?"

"I am." Adler replied, holding onto Rogue's wrist, terrified of being dropped. "Men, go back to what you were doing! Now!"

The soldiers slowly, with constant, angry, screaming urges from Adler, retreated and continued patrolling the building and grounds, though a few snipers stayed, completely unknown to Kurt, Rogue and Gambit, in case the doctor came into any harm.

"Why do you want me?" Adler demanded as Rogue gently brought them back to the ground.

"Ah want your cure. It's been said that you gotta cure to the mutant genes – one that completely gets rid of ya powers. Is that true?" Rogue explained.

"It is true." A female scientist said, entering from the doorway none of the three had noticed on arrival. "I'm Aileen Campbell, Dr. Adler's assistant."

"Nice ta meet ya." Rogue threw her a smile.

"Bonjour, chérie," Gambit smiled, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Kerb it, Cajun." Rogue said. "We ain't here for you to flirt. Ah wanna have the cure, and Ah want it now. Forgive mah rudeness but Ah've been waiting all mah life for this cure and Ah'm sick of waiting any longer."

"That's fine," Dr. Adler replied, smiling at Rogue. "Please, follow me. Are your friends here for the cure, also?"

"No, we're not." Kurt replied.

"I'm happy with my powers, mon ami." Gambit said, harshly and pointedly at Rogue.

Rogue stared at the ground.

"Very well. If you'd like to follow Miss Campbell, she'll show you to the waiting room." Dr. Adler said, moving his hand to the direction of Campbell.

"Vhat? Ve can't stay with Rogue?" Kurt asked.

"I'm afraid not," Campbell said, gently. "Only the patient, Dr. Adler and I can be in the surgery when Rogue has the cure."

Gambit's face showed his disapproval with Campbell explanation. He turned to Rogue and wrapped his arms around her, slipping the letter from his pocket, unnoticeably into Rogue's hand.

"Open this before you have the cure." He whispered, before adding, loudly, "I love you."

"I love you, too." Rogue replied, after nodding at Gambit's instructions, taking the letter and putting it into her pocket, equally as inconspicuously. "I'll see you guys soon."

She smiled at Kurt and Gambit before following Adler up the stairs. Campbell began walking towards a door, opposite the way she had entered.

"After you," she smiled, weakly, opening the door for the two remaining mutants.

Gambit and Kurt entered the room. Behind their backs, Campbell took something from the drawer of the little table sat next to the door, a vase of yellow tulips sat in a black vase upon it.

"Hey, what is this?" Gambit suddenly explained, whizzing round and glaring at Campbell.

Campbell wasn't there anymore. In her place was Mystique and in Mystique's hand was a gun.

"Mystique?" Kurt gasped.

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Mystique replied, sadly.

Before Kurt and Gambit could do anything, Mystique shot them both with the gun, feathered tranquilisers flying, silently, from the barrel. Before her, Gambit and Kurt fell to the floor. Mystique sighed, sorrowfully, before transforming herself into one of the soldiers and carrying Kurt, firstly, into one of the prison-like cells the room enclosed.


	11. Chapter 11

"So, Miss ... err ..."

"Rogue. Mah name's jus' Rogue, Dr. Adler." Rogue helped.

"Ah. Well, Rogue, you'll be able to see your friends soon. All I need you to do is sit down." Dr. Adler smiled, warmly, entering into a room with a large chair in the middle of it.

The room was huge and completely different to the plain, clean white walls of the foyer. It seemed to be just one huge machine with a path from the door to the centre. There was walkway around the chair to press numerous buttons or switch different levers or turn any dials. There was a large shelf filled with different test tubes, various coloured liquids twinkling inside them. There were also so many devices, terrifying devices, and the loud hum and flashing lights of the machinery filled Rogue with anxiety and a little bit of doubt – did she want to do this after all?

Rogue swallowed hard, waving away her hesitation with just one thought: _Gambit_. Even though she was scared, being able to touch and love Gambit the way he deserved was more important than any fear boiling inside her.

"Ah guess mah chair is this big ol' one in the middle, then, huh?" Rogue asked, sitting on it before getting an answer.

"It is indeed. Now, please relax." Dr. Adler said, his voice strong and encouraging, helping Rogue's fear dissipate. "I'm going to fetch Miss. Campbell. I'll be back quickly – oh, and, please don't touch anything. I don't want anything going wrong with this."

Rogue nodded and watched as Dr. Adler left. As soon as the door had shut behind him, she whipped out Gambit's letter and ripped the envelope open, hurriedly.

_Chérie,_

_I remember the first time we met. It seems so long ago and, even with all of the arguments, every moment spent with you have been the greatest moments of my life. I'd explain how we met, but you already know. I want to keep this letter short and sweet, but there are just so many things I want to say to you._

_The most recent argument we had scared me. Now, you know ol' Remy don't scare easily, but this one did. I thought it was the end of you and I and I couldn't bear it. I've been with so many women, chérie, I've made love with so many women, kissed so many women. I was a lady's man before I met you, chere, but everything changed as soon as you entered my life. Can you imagine that, the woman I couldn't touch is the woman I love more than anything else in the world?_

_I believe that a kiss from you is worth every second, whether I end up in a coma or not. _

_When I read the letters you'd written Kurt I was furious and envious – I wanted you to write to me, not him, even if he is your brother. I wanted you to send me postcards, I wanted you to invite me to cafes, just the two of us. When I found out that you wanted to get rid of your powers, I was devastated at first. It would change you, it would change everything. Remy's been through so much change that he didn't want to go through any more._

_The second thing I felt was hope – I'd be able to kiss you, to love you, to feel the warmth of your skin on mine. We could love physically as well as with our hearts and souls. I'm confused, chérie, I don't want you to change a thing – our mutant powers are gifts, no matter what form they come in and no matter what our powers can do to others and to ourselves. You're mutant powers made you who you are and I don't want you to give them up. They make you, and you are the most amazing person I've ever met._

_I still don't agree with your choice to rid yourself of your powers, but in the end it is your decision. I wanted us to work together to help you control your powers, but, by the time you read this, it'll be too late._

_I'm in love with you, chérie, and I know you love me, too. Through all the arguments and all the battles you've been there in the end. Even after Antarctica we pulled through. God has not looked kindly upon us, but with this 'cure' I think we're finally getting the chance we deserve – the chance to love in every meaning of the word._

_I can't wait to see that beautiful smile of yours – that smile that always seems to gleam just for me. After you've had the 'cure', we'll get your little blue brother to take us to Paris. I want to show the city I love to the woman I love. We'll stay there together for a while – until we decide to go back to the Institute. We'll start a life together, there._

_Before I bid my farewells, I want you to put your hand into the envelope. Inside it you'll find a card – a King of Hearts. I've changed him a little, as you will see. I've got the Queen of Hearts, and I've changed her, too. I've given you the King of Hearts as a representation of me, in case I can't be there with you. Please, keep him wherever you go, and you'll know that I'm with you always._

_Au revoir, chérie, I hope to see you soon._

_With all my love,_

_Remy_

Tears had flown down her cheeks, delicately and quickly, as she read Gambit's letter. As soon as she had finished reading it, she reached into the letter and pulled out the card. It was, as Gambit had said, his edited version of the King of Hearts. The King of Hearts now had red on black eyes, a scrawled version of Gambit's hair and the upper torso of Gambit's brown trench coat. Rogue laughed at how poor an artist Gambit was, but held the card against her heart all the same. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some writing on the back of the card.

'Stay with me forever' it read.

Rogue grinned and a few more tears squeezed their way out of her eyes.

"Of course I'll stay with you forever." She whispered, smiling and half-laughing, half-crying. "Here's for us, Remy, you mushy son-of-a-gun."

She kissed the card and placed it under her outfit, over her heart, tucked away safely.

"Now ya always gonna be near mah heart." She smiled, putting the letter into her pocket.

Rogue gave a small jump and wiped her face dry as the door opened and Miss. Campbell and Dr. Adler entered the room. She gave them a watery smile and the two scientists politely ignored her tearstained cheeks and sore, red eyes.

"Please, make yourself comfortable," Miss. Campbell offered, standing by Rogue's head.

Rogue leaned back in the chair and Dr. Adler pressed a button. The buzzing noise of the chair moving surprised Rogue, slightly, as the chair started tipping backwards, putting her in a lying position. A bright circular light shone onto her face, and she winced to be able to see through the glare.

"Woah, Ah feel like Ah'm at the dentists. Ya gonna give mah teeth a check up while ya help me?" Rogue joked.

"Maybe another time, for now I think we'll just stick to taking your powers away." Dr. Adler laughed. "Now, this process will sting so the cuffs around your wrists and feet will keep you secured if the pain is too much for you." Dr. Adler explained to the shocked Rogue when thick metal cuffs suddenly trapped her. "As soon as we begin there's no turning back. If you've changed your mind, tell me now and I'll release you. If not, close your eyes and we'll begin."

"Nah, Ah'm ready, Dr. The cuff's just shocked me is all." Rogue smiled, weakly and nervously. "What happens now?"

"Just relax, Rogue. Close your eyes." Campbell said, softly, pulling a helmet onto her from underneath the chair. "We just need you to put this on."

She slipped the helmet onto Rogue and took a long wire from the light attached to the chair. At the end of the wire was a connector and it slipped, perfectly, into a hole in the helmet, in between Rogue's eyes.

"And now we begin." Dr. Adler smiled, flicking a switch and causing the machine to film the room with bright, blinding lights, and Rogue's pain filled screams.


	12. Chapter 12

"There, didn't sting too much, now, did it?" Dr. Adler asked, kindly, plugging shut the mouth of some kind of shining silver orb inside an otherwise empty test tube.

"It stung as much as bein' blasted point-blank with a nuclear bomb." Rogue replied, her body drenched with sweat and her face covered with tears from the pain.

"I'm sorry for the discomfort." Dr. Adler replied, sincerely. "Please, catch your breath and Miss. Campbell will show you the way out – maybe get you a glass of water before you leave?"

"Wait a minute." Rogue said, suspiciously. "How do Ah know this worked?"

"Touch me." Miss Campbell answered, immediately, rolling her sleeve up.

Nervously and hesitantly, Rogue removed her glove and stretched out naked, shaking fingers. Miss Campbell's skin was as white as snow, pale blonde hairs standing on end from the coldness the room was filled with. Slowly Rogue's fingers came in contact with Campbell's skin. Rogue winced as soon as her fingers touched Campbell's flesh – but nothing happened. Rogue didn't have a chunk of Campbell's mind in her brain and Campbell wasn't reduced into an unconscious, semi-lifeless heap on the operation room floor. Her powers were gone.

"Oh mah gosh!" Rogue squealed, gripping onto Campbell's arm, a huge beaming smile spread across her face. "They're gone!"

"That was the intention of this operation." Dr. Adler smiled. "But, you do realise you can't fly anymore, you don't have the strength you once possessed, not to mention you can touch people. Like that young Cajun man you came here with."

"And Ah can't wait to touch that young Cajun man. Ah can't wait to kiss him!" Rogue giggled, every inch of her being tingling with excitement and ecstasy. "Woah!" She suddenly gasped, her head spinning. "Ah shouldn't o' got up so fast."

"Stay seated," Campbell soothed, making Rogue lie back on the chair, taking the glowing orb in the tube from Adler and pocketing it as soon as Rogue's eyelids had fluttered closed. "Dr. Adler will do some basic checkups – your pulse, your heart beat, etc. I'll fetch you a drink of water."

"Thanks, Miss." Rogue replied, dizzily, watching the blonde woman leave the room.

*

"We're finally here!" Storm announced, looking out for the beaming lights Moira was waving about, showing the X-Team where they were to land.

"How about you clean up the weather a bit so we can land safely?" Cyclops requested, trying to peer through the dark night clouds and spy the lights.

"Of course," Storm replied, flying out of the sky window of the Blackbird, and into the terrible night air. "I call upon the winds and the rain! Cease your tempest so we may land!" Storm commanded, her eyes glowing icy blue and her outstretched arms exerting blue lightening from her palms.

The storm cleared up around the landing spot and the Blackbird so Cyclops could land the plane properly and safely. Through the clearing skies all the X-Men inside the Blackbird could see a small mountain in the centre of Muir Island with a large white castle perched upon it.

"Have you arrived yet?" Xavier asked each of them through telekinesis.

"Yeah, an' about time, too," Wolverine growled. "With the way shades flies you'd think this wasn't an emergency or something."

Cyclops threw Wolverine a furious, insulted glare, to which Wolverine replied with one of his own.

"Okay, get going. Storm, stay with the Blackbird. I want you to be ready in case anything goes wrong. Jean, keep telepathically in contact with Storm in case you need help, weather wise. In the mean time, I need the weather to stay as it was before – I don't want anyone to know you're there." Xavier explained, Jean and Storm nodding in agreement after receiving their commands.

"Professor, you're acting as though you know who's behind it." Shadowcat said.

"I have an inkling but I'm not sure if it's right. Of course, whoever is behind it will know the X-Men aren't far behind when three members of our team are missing. Make your way to Moira, now. She'll lead you to the laboratory in the quickest way she knows. She'll be able to get you through the security. Now, go. I'll stay in touch." Xavier replied.

"Alright, kids, ya ready?" Wolverine barked, quickly exiting the Blackbird and into the darkness.

Jubilee, Shadowcat, Jean and Cyclops followed, hastily.

"Evenin' X-Men," a red-haired Scotswoman in a long white jacket and glasses said, as soon as the whole team was before her. "I'm Moira MacTaggert, Xavier told you, o' course. I'm here to take ya the quickest way in. Follo' me."

Moira turned on her heel as Storm commanded the skies once more.

"Tempest! Continue with your raging ways and quail only for the path of my team!" Storm ordered and the weather obeyed – a sliver of dry path appeared, big enough only for the X-Men and Moira to walk through.

Storm returned to the Blackbird and Moira quickly led them to the castle.

"Argh! Isn't there a quicker way to the lab?" Wolverine roared, growing ever more impatient as the minutes ticked by.

"Not if we wan' ta sneak ya's in withou' bein' no'iced – the only way ta get ta this place withou' the securi'y bein' aler'ed is with me." Moira explained.

"I've got a better idea." Jean said, bringing her fingers to her temples.

She raised herself and her five comrades into the air, sheltered from the terrifying weather inside a bubble of her mind power. In a matter of minutes, the X-Men and Moira were floating over the forests, unnoticed by the security, halfway towards the castle. Suddenly, though, the windows of the castle blew up with the brightest of white lights and Rogue's screams ricocheted through the air. Jean had stopped floating them towards the castle, the light being so bright and so sudden, she didn't want them to get closer in case it was a bomb or something. The six stared at the castle, Rogue's screams echoing through their minds. Within a few minutes the light disappeared, as did Rogue's screams.

"We're too late." Jubilee whispered, everyone else thinking the same thing.

"No we're not! We just need to get her powers and force that stinkin' Adler to put Rogue's powers back in her. Let's go!" Wolverine snarled.

*

"Rogue? Rogue! What the hell just happened? Rogue be hurt?!" Gambit cried out, Rogue's screams waking him from his unconscious state.

"Vhat is Mystique doing? Vhy is she hurting Rogue?" Kurt questioned, so many thoughts running through his mind. "Vhat is happening vith Rogue?!"

"I don' know, mon ami, but what I do know is Mystique won' be living any longer as soon as I get outta here!" Gambit spat, his eyes flashing, dangerously, red – like the siren of a police light.

He pulled a card out of his jacket and shoved it into the hinges of his cell door. He covered his face as the card exploded, but nothing happened to the metal.

"Wha'?!" Gambit demanded, hurling more cards at the door.

"Let me see if I can get out of here." Kurt said, attempting to teleport.

Luckily, he managed to get out of the cell, just as soon as Mystique, in her Campbell guise, came through the door.

"Kurt, get out of here, now." Mystique said as she changed to her original form. "Rogue' coming out of the surgery, now. I want you to take her and leave – tell her that _he_," she shot a filthy look at Gambit, "Had left already."

"Vhat? Vhy?" Kurt demanded, glaring hurt and confusedly at his mother. "Vhy are you doing this? Vhat have you done to Rogue?"

"You need to get out of here before he comes. He'll want your power, too – it's bad enough he has Rogues ... I need you to take her as far away as possible, and as soon as possible." Mystique explained, hurriedly. "When I recited those bible passages to you in the church, it wasn't for no reason at all – I need you to forgive me, Kurt. I've taken Rogue's powers for a reason, and I promise you that it is worth it – I'm trying to create a world where we mutants can live peacefully, but there are sacrifices that must be made."

"Rogue's a sacrifice to y'?!" Gambit roared, but Mystique ignored him.

"You vere at the church?" Kurt asked.

Mystique answered by changing into the monk.

"Remember the fifth commandment." Mystique said, before transforming into herself again. "I need you to forgive me for what will happen – especially for three days time. I need you to, please."

"Vhat'll happen in three days time?" Kurt demanded.

"Please, let Rogue know that I always loved her ... there were just things that I had to do." Mystique replied, mysteriously.

"What do you mean? Is Rogue – is Rogue going to die?!" Kurt gasped.

"Please, just take Rogue as far as you can and go.

"But – but –"

"Go!"

"Vhy can't Gambit come?" Kurt questioned, completely lost for words.

"Because," Mystique said, a dark glare appearing on her face like a mask covering the motherly one she viewed Kurt with. "I've some business I have to deal with him. Now, just take your sister and go – now! He'll be here soon."

"No –"

"Go, mon ami!" Gambit ordered, his eyes glowing scarlet and hatred filling them like puddles of blood. "I can handle her. Take Rogue to safety. If Gambit got business to take care of, he takes care of it now. Who else gonna punish the bitch who kills her own daughter? Gambit gonna save Rogue's life."

Mystique shoved Kurt out of the room, returning to Campbell's guise.

"Hey Kurt." Rogue beamed, leaping towards him with arms outstretched, her gloves visible in her coat pocket. "Look!" She cried, touching his face with her fingers.

Kurt winced at first, before noticing nothing had happened.

"It vorked!" Kurt gasped.

"Yeah it did! Now, where's Gambit?" Rogue gushed. "Ah need to show him!"

"Ah ..." Kurt replied, glancing at Campbell, before looking at Rogue again, her face dropping. "He went back to the Institute – he said he had business to take care of. He wants to see you soon, thought."

Rogue's face brightened a little.

"Then back to the Institute we go," Rogue smiled. "Let's go – oh, an' thanks, Miss. Campbell, Ah really appreciate everything ya've done for me."

"No problem, Rogue," Campbell replied, her voice filled with sorrow. "Now, go, quickly. I'm sure you don't want to keep Gambit waiting."

Rogue grinned and Kurt teleported them back to the Institute.

"Professor! Quickly!" Kurt gasped, leaving Rogue alone in the foyer as he teleported to the professor, who was sat at Cerebro with Hank. "Mystique is the one who is behind this – she says Rogue's going to die in three days – she's going to do something and she needs Rogue's powers to do it – Gambit's still there, she says she has 'unfinished business' – what's happening?!"

"Where's Rogue?" Xavier questioned.

"Ah'm here. Walking up those darn stairs takes a lot longer than flyin' – but Ah'll get used to it." Rogue said, standing at the doorway, a smile falling from her face when she saw the grave looks on everyone else's faces. "What's goin' on? Someone die or somethin'?"

"The surgery worked?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah, it did." Rogue grinned, proudly, striding towards Xavier and touching his hand with her bare fingers.

"Then the countdown begins." Xavier replied. "Whatever Mystique is up to, we have less than three days to stop it and return Rogue's powers to her."

"What? What's Mystique gotta do with anythin'? Why three days? What if Ah don' want mah powers back?" Rogue demanded.

"Mystique is the one behind this 'cure' along with Dr. Adler." Hank explained. "We have less than three days to stop whatever Mystique has planned to do with your powers – and less than three days to have your powers returned to you, otherwise you'll die"


	13. Chapter 13

Rogue stared at Hank with disbelief. Her jaw had dropped, her eyes were gaping – the greatest day of her life was ruined by the fact the cure wasn't helping her become a normal person: it was taking her powers to aid Mystique in whatever plan she had. Her impending death was catalogued for three days time. Mystique had taken Rogue into her life because of Rogue's powers and now Mystique was ending whatever life Rogue dreamed of having, solely for her powers.

"Rogue," Kurt whispered, holding onto Rogue's bare hand with his. "I'm so sorry ... Mystique told me to tell you zat she loved you and ... and she vants –"

"What does she want, huh, Kurt?" Rogue bellowed, hysterically. "She adopted me 'coz she wanted mah powers, and now she's gonna kill me for 'em, too! Ah leave the Brotherhood, so mah powers leave the Brotherhood – what does that mean? Means she gotta get mah powers another way! She knows Ah hate mah powers and she knew the way to get 'em off me! She tricked me! An' now Ah'm gonna die in three days – Ah haven't even kissed Remy yet! Where is he?! Ya were the last one to see him. He came back to the Institute to get business done – well Ah wanna see – his business can go to hell!"

"Gambit never returned here – he remained at Muir Island with you, didn't he?" Xavier asked, baffled.

"What? That's not what Kurt said. Kurt, where's Gambit?" Rogue asked, suspiciously, glaring at Kurt.

"Ack ... you see ... Mystique asked me –"

"It's always down to Mystique." Rogue spat.

"Rogue, please, hold on for a moment. What did Mystique say, hurt?" Xavier said, holding up his hand to silence Rogue, whilst staring, interestedly, at Kurt.

"She – eh ... She said to not tell Rogue she still had Gambit. She told me to take Rogue as far avay as possible so zat some guy ... so that some guy vouldn't take my powers as vell as Rogue's. She said zat Gambit couldn't leave because she had unfinished business vith him and ... vell, Gambit agreed to stay behind – he said he vas going to get Rogue's powers back. Mystique only told us, briefly, vhat vill happen. Some man what's Rogue's powers and Mystique couldn't risk this man vanting mine, too. She said zat Rogue vould die in three days and ... and I think she vants to kill Gambit herself." Kurt explained, hesitatingly and quietly.

"She ain't touching Gambit!" Rogue declared, holding out her bare hand. "As soon as I get my hands on that bi–"

"You'll do what, Rogue? As soon as you get your hands on Mystique, what will you do? My girl, you have no powers whereas Mystique still has hers. As a human with no X gene, you have no chance against an extremely powerful mutant such as Mystique." Xavier interrupted.

"Oh yeah," Rogue remembered, quietly.

Rogue felt as though a wave of uselessness and worthlessness had crashed upon her. She had no powers – she would be of no use inside a battle, other than standing on the sidelines and being a victim the X-Men had to protect, thus becoming an interference. Unluckily, also, for Rogue was her intense stubbornness and hard-headedness – she wouldn't sit at the Institute and twiddle her thumbs whilst a battle was underway – her friends, her brother, her true love battling it out to return Rogue's powers to her, thus returning her life to her.

"Ah'm not staying at the Institute." Rogue stated, stoutly. "Ah still know how to fight so Ah'll fight. Ya gonna have to have me there whenever ya put mah powers back in me ..." She added, sorrowfully.

Xavier rubbed his forehead in thought, wondering what other possibilities they had.

"Kurt, get Spyke, Iceman, Havok, Colossus and Sunfire." Xavier ordered, still processing another plan – trying to find another way of keeping the powerless Rogue safe, whilst still being able to keep her at Muir Island, undetected, to return her powers in the case they win whatever battle was ahead of them.

Soon enough Kurt returned with the five males in tow, ready and rearing for action.

"Excellent. Now, we're all going to get into the X-Jet and go to Muir Island. Kurt, I know you won't be able to teleport us all of the way, giving how large the X-Jet is and how much you will be teleporting, but, as soon as we get out of America and over the sea, I want you to teleport us all to Muir Island in one go. You'll wear the X-Jet's Cerebro helmet to magnify your powers." Xavier explained.

"Right," Kurt nodded.

"Now, everybody in this room will be going to Muir Island," Xavier nodded to the slightly pleased Rogue. "However, only Nightcrawler, Spyke, Iceman, Havok, Colossus, Sunfire and Beast will be the ones leaving the X-Jet and entering the battle. Rogue and I will stay in the X-Jet and wait for you all with Storm, who is currently waiting at the Blackbird."

"Huh? You sent a rescue team?" Rogue asked.

"Yes, Jean, Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm and Shadowcat." Xavier explained. "Now, I had no more time for questions – I'll explain more when we're in the jet. Let's move."

The nine X-Men set off to the X-Jet and, as soon as the X-Jet was in the air, Xavier resumed his commands.

"Kurt, do you know where the operating room was where Rogue had her powers removed?" Xavier asked.

"Eh, no, Gambit and I vere taken to some cells before Rogue vent to get her operation. All I know is she vent up some stairs." Kurt replied.

"Ah know where it was!" Rogue piped up.

"You're staying in the X-Jet." Xavier said, firmly. "Nightcrawler and Spyke, I want you to try and find the operating room with Beast – Beast can try and find a way of reversing what the machinery does. I want you to find Dr. Adler and keep him _alive_ – if Hank can reverse the machine then Dr. Adler can operate on Rogue again. Iceman and Colossus, I want you to find Gambit and release him. Havok, Sunfire, I want you to find team A and assist them. I believe there will be a battle so great, the others could use all the help they can get." Xavier added, darkly.

"So, what, Storm, you and Ah are gonna sit outside playing checkers whilst everyone else risks their necks for me?" Rogue gasped, angrily, as they neared the ocean – Kurt's teleporting point.

"Rogue, I don't have time for you questioning my orders." Xavier said, not unkindly. "You're unarmed and powerless, we need you out of harm's way so we can return your powers to you and save you. As you said, everyone else are putting themselves at risk for you – if you jump into battle and die, they injuries ... or worse ... that they suffer will be in vain. Do you want that?"

Rogue understood what the Professor was saying. She stayed quiet for a moment – her stubbornness fighting with her agreement with the Professor's words.

"Ahlright," Rogue agreed, quietly. "Ah'll stay. But as soon as Ah've got mah powers back, Ah'm goin' out and kicking some butt."

"Agreed." Xavier smiled. "Now, Nightcrawler. Are you ready? It's time to teleport."

Hank put the helmet on Kurt's head and connected it to some large mechanical device in the wall of the X-Jet.

"Ja," Kurt nodded, holding up a thumbs up.

"Well then, let's teleport." Xavier replied.

Kurt's powers were magnified by Cerebro and soon enough the whole X-Jet vanished in a wisp of smoke, within moments landing next to the Blackbird on Muir Island.


	14. Chapter 14

"Charles!" Storm called, flying out of the Blackbird, the Scottish weather still hammering and thundering down upon the Island they had landed on. "Jean informed me that they've reached the castle too late – Rogue has –"

"Already had her powers out, yeah, he knows." Rogue replied as Storm entered the X-Jet.

"Rogue – is it true?" Storm gasped, running to Rogue and placing her slender, delicate fingers on Rogue's face. "It _is_ true!"

"Crazy, huh?" Rogue smiled, sadly. "Shame Ah only got three days to enjoy it – and no Remy to enjoy it with."

"My child, where is he? Kurt and you are here, as safe as you can be, yet where is Gambit?" Storm questioned, breathily, amazed that the Southern girl before her, whom she'd befriended years ago, was no mutant any more. "Your skin is so cold." Storm noted.

"Coz it ain't been touched in so long," Rogue joked, despondently.

"We'll rescue Gambit, I promise you, girl!" Storm vowed, holding Rogue's bare hands in her own, her gaze steady and sincere, warming Rogue's heart with faith.

"Nightcrawler, Spyke, Iceman, Colossus, Havok, Sunfire and Beast. You all know the plan. Kurt, teleport everyone to the castle doors – I've told the others to await your arrival. Cyclops and Wolverine are currently running through a plan for when you do arrive. Apparently they can hear crashing inside – assumedly Gambit and Mystique have begun their battle." Xavier said, quickly.

"What?!" Rogue gasped.

"Go, now, all of you!" Xavier ordered.

Kurt grabbed Spyke, Iceman and Colossus with his arms and his tail. Sunfire and Beast placed their hands on Kurt and within seconds Kurt had teleported them to the castle.

"Argh!" Rogue cried, kicking the air where Kurt had once stood. "Ah'm sick of waiting already! Ah've never sat out of a battle before – Ah just can't do it! I need to save Remy!"

"Rogue, without you're mutant abilities, you're powerless." Xavier explained, bluntly. "I don't want you or any of the others put in any more harm than they already are in – with a powerless bystander there, each member of your team will undoubtedly feel it a need to protect you, thus making sloppy decisions in haste. You need to be patient."

"Professor, what if Gambit dies?" Rogue questioned, desperately. "What if Ah never see him again – what if Ah can't even have one last kiss with him – our first and our last?"

"Give Gambit a little more faith than that." Xavier smiled, warmly, gently and kindly. "You've seen him in the Danger Room, he can hold his own. He disobeyed my orders and stole the Blackbird just to find you, and he didn't get harmed in the process, even during his many fights with Wolverine."

"Pfft, that boy can steal anythin' he likes, so the theft of the Blackbird ain't nothin' unusual." Rogue smiled, but she understood what Xavier was saying – Gambit could find a lot more strength inside him and fight better than he ever had, if there was a good enough reason behind it, and the reason was Rogue – he was willing to do anything he could to save her and live to see her again.

*

"Finally, elf boy and company arrive." Wolverine spat as Kurt and team B appeared beside them.

"Charles said a plan was forming in your battle-ready minds." Beast said. "Care to divulge?"

"We're going around the back. We're splitting into four groups. Jean, Wolverine and I will be one group. Sunfire, Spyke and Havok will be another. Jubilee, Colossus and Shadowcat will be the third group and Beast, you will be in a group with Kurt and Iceman." Scott explained as the X-Men walked around the building to the side doors Moira had shown them. "Moira will be with you, Iceman and Nightcrawler – she knows more about this than any of us so she can help you out."

"You, the blue German, Moira and snow cone are gonna go straight up the stairs and find the operatin' room and Dr. Adler. Restrain him as much as you see necessary." Wolverine's eyes glinted as he explained. "Jean, shades and I will be entering through the left door, Jubilee, Colossus and Shadowcat on the right. Shadowcat'll check the coast first before Colossus and I break these doors down. As soon as our teams have entered, you, Moira, the fuzzy kid and the snowflake will enter and porcupine, sunshine and baby shades will have ya back."

Everyone nodded in agreement, the chosen few who were regarded by their 'nicknames' nodding with disgruntled looks on their faces. Everyone split into their teams.

"Ready?" Wolverine asked Shadowcat, who nodded. He held up his fingers as he counted down. "1 – 2 – 3 –"

Before Wolverine could say 'go', Gambit had crashed through the side doors. Shadowcat squealed as Gambit passed through her and landed ten feet away from Spyke's team.

"It's sorta clear." Shadowcat called to Wolverine, who replied with a scowl.

"Move in! Spyke, Sunfire, Havok – check on Gambit." Wolverine ordered as he charged through the shattered hole in the wall Gambit had made.

"Nice to know y' care, mon ami, but I'm all good." Gambit said, putting his speed and agility to good use and dodging through the X-Men, catching up with Wolverine.

"What's with you being hurled through walls, huh, Gumbo?" Wolverine snarled. "Ya have a thing about getting ya ass kicked or somethin'?"

"We'll see who gets their _ass kicked_ as soon as I've done with Mystique, no?" Gambit replied.

"That's if ya don't get beaten by her, first." Wolverine smirked, watching Gambit pass him.

The team's got into position and surrounded Mystique and Gambit as the two battled. Beast, Nightcrawler, Moira and Iceman ran up the stairs, away from Mystique's sight – she was too busy trying to defeat Gambit.

"What do ya want with Rogue's powers?!" Wolverine bellowed.

"Ah, so you've finally arrived to rescue Rogue, have you?" Mystique replied, a bitter laugh falling from her lips. "Well you're too late – I already have her powers!"

"What do y' want with ya own daughter's powers, eh? Y' just want her to die, no?" Gambit demanded, lunging at the red-haired woman.

"I have to do it!" Mystique cried. "GUARDS!"

Mystique transformed herself, quickly, into a raven and started to fly off.

"Not so fast!" Jean yelled, encasing Mystique in a bubble of telekinesis so she couldn't escape.

Within seconds, troops of guards surrounded the X-Men's circle.

"Alright!" Wolverine beamed, a huge, fanged, wolf-like grin appearing on his face. "Ya invited ya friends – now we're really gonna have a party!"


	15. Chapter 15

"CHARGE!" The leader of the troops shrieked.

"You heard the man!" Wolverine grinned, demonically. "Let's go!"

The troops loaded their weapons and began running at the teams. Immediately, Colossus's skin turned to metal and the bullets pinged off of him. Shadowcat grabbed Jubilee, allowing them both to let the bullets shoot through them. Whilst they were fazed, they ran at three guards and Jubilee shot at them with her multi-coloured lights of power, blinding the three guards, briefly. As they were holding their hands against their eyes and crying out, Colossus threw them all against a wall, knocking them all unconscious.

Wolverine had lunged at four guards, slicing and dicing their guns into shards of hot metal. He jumped and kicked two of the guards in the chest, winding them both, before grabbing them and hurling them at the other two unarmed guards. All four collapsed into a second pile of unconscious soldiers.

As Wolverine, Jubilee, Colossus and Shadowcat started fighting with four other guards, Jean and Cyclops were holding their own against four others.

Jean used her telekinesis to hold three guards high into the air, their weapons having been bent into thick metal bows, useless to the men, all the while keeping Mystique trapped inside a cage of Jean's powers, Mystique forced to keep the form of a raven.

Cyclops had used his optic blasts to wipe out a guard's gun, before turning his optic blasts to the guard himself. The blasts were so powerful, the guard was blown off his feet, whacked against a wall and fell into an unconscious heap at the base of the wall, next to the front doors, one of which Rogue had previously punched off.

Cyclops then turned his optic blasts to Jean's three immobile, floating hostages and blasted them to the wall, too, the three unconscious guards following the other one in suit, collapsing on top of him in a big mess.

"Good team work." Jean smiled, sweetly, to Cyclops.

"Couldn't have done it without you," Cyclops winked back.

"Okay, love birds, d'ya think ya could stop it with the puppy eyes long enough to gimme a hand?!" Wolverine spat, three guards having pinned him onto his knees, his arms held behind his back and a gun barrel inches from his head.

"Oh!" Jean gasped, before pulling the gun out of the guard's hands with her mind.

Cyclops blasted the guards against the wall with two optic blasts on full power. The men were instantaneously unconscious.

"Watch it there, Cyke, ya nearly missed me there – don't want that, now, do we?" Wolverine growled, rubbing his arm where Cyclop's optic blasts had grazed him.

On the other side of the room, Sunfire, Spyke and Havok were battling it out with the four remaining guards. The four guards had loaded their weapons and were ready to fire, before Spyke shot through their guns with eight, large, wooden stakes, flicking them out of his wrists. The guns were pinned to the wall, crumbling and smoking. Havok blasted two of the guards with plasma blasts from his hands, disabling the guards. Sunfire flew around the heads of the other two guards in circles, dizzying them both. He enflamed his whole body with superheated plasma, throwing balls of the plasma at the guards as he spun around them. The guards screamed in pain, before Havok shot his plasma blasts at them, knocking them unconscious. Spyke shot stakes at the guards, trapping them to the floor.

"We all clear?" Wolverine barked.

"All clear," The others answered, unanimously.

"Alright. Now to see what frosty, blue boy, Beast and Moira have got up to." Wolverine replied. "Firstly, though, we tidy up. Leave a nice present for whenever the parents get home. Ya still got Mystique, Jean?"

"Of course," Jean smiled, waving her hand to make Mystique in her bubble prison float in front of Wolverine.

"Good work. We'll interrogate her as soon as frosty get's his cold ass down here." Wolverine growled with a twisted grin and dark glints in his eyes.

Together, the nine X-Men began shifting unconscious bodies, laying them onto the floor in rows, before Spyke pinned them down with stakes.

*

As the X-Men battled below them, Beast, Nightcrawler, Iceman and Moira had found their way to the surgery upstairs. Dr. Adler was up there, sat on a chair with his head in his hands. Moira entered the room, firstly, beginning a meek conversation with him about generalities. She had left the door ajar, making it possible for Beast, Iceman and Nightcrawler to spy into the room. As Dr. Adler explained the operation he'd just conducted, Moira secretly, waved her hand for Nightcrawler to enter. He did, transporting into the room, perched on Dr. Adler's shoulders, making the scientist jump out of his skin, before Nightcrawler transported him onto the table that only moments ago Rogue had lain on to have her powers removed.

Within seconds, Beast and Iceman had charged into the room. Beast quickly swapped places with Nightcrawler, holding Adler down as Iceman created ice cuffs around Adler's wrists, ankles and waist, trapping him onto the chair.

"Now, my good sir, I highly recommend you answer our questions genially and immediately, otherwise I do believe it will be getting a tad bit colder in here, for you." Beast smiled, warmly, though the threat was still there.

"Yeah, and I can't wait to make that happen." Iceman grinned, darkly, holding out a hand, flat, and creating a sharp ice spike in his palm. He waved it, threateningly, above Dr. Adler's head, watching the scientist gulp, nervously. "Haha, I love it when they squirm!"

"Now, now, Iceman, do be polite. If Dr. Adler is willing to answer our questions, I think we owe his as much as to not insult." Beast scolded, gently, though secretly approved of the way Iceman made Adler nervous – it made it more likely for the man to answer their questions, and quickly, too.

"W-w-what do you want to know?!" Dr. Adler gasped, the icy spike dangerously close to the tip of his nose.

"How to use this X-gene removing machine, of course." Beast smiled. "And may I just say, before we go on, what an impressive piece of machinery you have here! If only Shadowcat were here to see this, rather than downstairs – she'd be amazed at the computer technology you have at your fingertips! Oh, how happy we'd both be to have such incredible apparatus back at the institute!"

"She'll end up on zese machines more zan she already is at home." Nightcrawler grunted. "She alvays hogs the laptop!"

"Shall we get on 'ere fella's, or shall we pour the man a cuppa tea?" Moira grumbled. "I though' we 'ad a mission ta get on with!"

"Oh, very right, of course." Beast scolded himself. "I do apologise for getting so off track." He placed a huge, dustbin lid sized, clawed paw around Dr. Adler's neck. "How to we operate this machinery?"

Within seconds, Dr. Adler spilled the beans and told Beast everything the X-Men wanted to know. Moira had rushed over to the machinery as Dr. Adler spoke, looking at all the different levers and buttons and instruments as Adler referred to them.

"Excellent, thank you, doctor," Beast grinned. "Now, another question, if I may. How do we reverse this operation?"

"Reverse it?" Adler asked, his voice and his body still shaking and quaking with fear.

"Well, yes. How to we put the gene back _in_ to the mutant? There must be a way. One does not create a disease without first creating an antidote." Beast laughed.

"Y-you take the tube where the gene is held, safely, taking the gene out with the forceps. You insert the power into the coin-sized slot in the side of the side of the helmet, making sure to shut the slot and lock it up. The process is painful to the mutant – more painful than actually removing the power ... you put the helmet, with the appropriate power in it, onto the head of the mutant, then pull the lever over there, after typing in a code on the keyboard. The process takes seconds to happen." Adler explained.

"And what, my friend, is the code?" Beast questioned.

"1-6-6-5." Adler sighed. "I've told you everything I know! You have to take me back with you, to wherever you came from, before _he_ returns – if he finds out that I've told you all of this – which he will! – I'll be dead!"

"Shoulda thought of that before you took Rogue's powers, then, huh? Not to mention creating this damn machine and working with Mystique! Everyone knows ya shouldn't work with Mystique!" Iceman laughed, watching drips of water trickle down Dr. Adler's nose from the spike Iceman had held over his face during the whole interrogation.

"Who is 'he'?" Nightcrawler asked after transporting himself into a crouching position on Adler's chest.

"'He' is me, of course!" A deep, thundering voice replied from behind them.


	16. Chapter 16

Nightcrawler, Dr. Adler, Moira, Iceman and Beast whipped their heads round. In the doorway, in all of his darkness, stood a towering mutant – his incredibly white skin was a match to the ice dripping onto Adler's nose, the black markings on his pale, cold flesh, creating an eerie air. His muscular figure was clad in black and red armour and a cloak stood from his shoulders like shredded batwings, falling down his back. A collar stood from his neck, framing the mutant's face with red, rimmed with black, making his face look creepier and his black eyes glint more menacingly.

"Aw mah gawd," Moira gasped, all colour falling from her face.

"Mister Sinister!" Beast gaped in disbelief.

Iceman and Nightcrawler gained fighting positions, swiftly standing in front of the massive Mister Sinister, ready to protect Beast, Moira and Adler.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Adler yelled. "You two won't be enough – he'll kill you in a heartbeat! We have to get out of here!"

Mister Sinister released a cool, deep, bellowing laugh.

"He's right!" Mister Sinister boomed, his voice seemingly echoing, darkly. "And I will kill you all! Except for our friend, Adler, of course – I will need him for my final experiments – as soon as I can operate this incredible machinery, however, I will have no use for him. By that time there will be no X-Men to save him!" Another bellowing laugh flowed out of his mouth.

"Nightcrawler, quickly!" Beast urged, grabbing hold of the two, bravely stupid boys in his large, muscular, furry blue arms and yanking them to where Adler laid.

Moira had already run to Adler's side. Quickly, everyone grabbed Nightcrawler and he teleported them all down the stairs.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Mister Sinister boomed, his voice and laugh belting through the castle.

*

"What the hell was that?" Wolverine demanded as Nightcrawler and the others appeared in the room.

"We have to get to the Blackbird, fast!" Iceman exclaimed. "Mister Sinister is behind us!"

"How did he get there without us noticing?" Wolverine howled.

"Mister Sinister?" Shadowcat questioned, confused.

"Ya don't wanna know, half-pint. Nightcrawler, get us outta here!" Wolverine ordered.

The mutants looked at each, confused, each tingling, suddenly, with apprehension and fear. Whatever mutant made Wolverine decide to retreat was definitely something you didn't want to stick around and meet.

"What about the guards?" Jean asked.

"What about 'em?" Wolverine growled back.

"We can't just leave them here!" Jean cried.

"Jean's right – we can't let whoever the hell is behind us kill them. Like, we should take them with us!" Jubilee demanded.

"Argh!" Wolverine snarled, before hoisting four guards over his shoulders, two being carried by each arm.

"Grab some guys and get outta here, now!" Wolverine yelled at Kurt, dumping the still unconscious men at Nightcrawler's feet.

Nightcrawler placed a hand, foot and his tail on each man and teleported them, quickly, into the Blackbird before returning for more men.

"Kurt, what's going on?" Xavier questioned, surprised by the amount of men Kurt was bringing back.

"Mister Sinister is there!" Jubilee explained, after Kurt took her and three other guards to the Blackbird.

"What?!" Xavier and Storm gasped in unison.

"You know Mister Sinister?" Jubilee exclaimed.

"Vhat?" Nightcrawler gasped, dropping off three guards and Shadowcat.

"Where are the others? They need to move, fast!" Storm cried.

"Like, Jean's flying over Colossus, Cyclops, Beast and Wolverine – like, they're staying behind 'til all the guards and the other's are here, safe." Shadowcat explained as a few more guards, Spyke and Sunfire were transported into the Blackbird.

"What about Gambit?" Rogue asked.

"Like, I dunno!" Shadowcat suddenly gasped, Jubilee and she staring at each other.

"He vanished as soon as Mystique went – like, he didn't even cross our minds – there were so many guards we had to fight!" Jubilee explained, as the last of the nineteen guards were dumped onto the Jet floor.

Havok, Moira, Iceman, and Nightcrawler finally landed into the Blackbird– the moments that had passed for Nightcrawler to transport everyone had seemed to take centuries.

"I'm so dizzy!" Nightcrawler exclaimed, tumbling onto the floor. "So much teleporting! After zis is over, I'm going to sleep for at least a veek!"

"How could ya goddamn well forget Remy?!" Rogue demanded, her eyes filled with fury and tears.

Shadowcat squealed at the sudden loudness of Rogue's voice as Rogue appeared from the shadows.

"Rogue, please, the battle was intense!" Iceman begged, holding his arms out showing his torn outfits – the whole unit of mutants covered in scratches, cuts, bruises and ripped clothing. "We couldn't help forgetting Gambit – we were too busy trying to survive!"

"Ya went there to get him!" Rogue screamed. "An' ya so easily forgot him?!"

"Rogue, please." Xavier said, attempting to softly silence her.

"Nuh uh!" Rogue snapped, turning her back on them all as Jean, Wolverine, Colossus, Beast and Cyclops zoomed over to the X-planes in a bubble of Jean's mind, all of them a blur due to the speed Jean had moved them at. "Ah'm sick of bein' shut up! Ah just want Gambit – mah powers can go to hell for all Ah care! Ah just wanted to kiss Gambit and Ah can't even have that, coz everyone forgot him!"

Rogue stormed out of the Blackbird, swiftly, and climbed into the X-Jet, locking it up with a loud 'zwosh' noise emanating from the plane.

"Professor?" Jean asked, glancing at the lone Rogue inside the X-Jet.

"She needs to be on her own." Xavier said, shortly. "Where's Gambit?"

The cage containing Mystique in her bird form floated into the Blackbird and landed, softly, onto a chair.

"Mystique, I assume?" Storm asked.

"You would be correct." Beast replied, walking with Storm to Mystique, both sitting either side of her, guarding the mutant.

"Damn it! We left Gumbo behind!" Wolverine spat. "Normally I wouldn't care, but with the Southern Belle over there being as angry as she is, I think we've done wrong."

"You have indeed." Xavier scolded. "The mission objective was to recover Gambit, and you managed to let him slip through your fingers."

"The guards–" Cyclops began.

"It's fine, Cyclops, I understand the reasons. Gambit has that ability to slip into and out of crowds unnoticed – it's part of his charm and mutant ability. He was probably searching for answers himself–"

"Like how to get Rogue's powers back inside her." Nightcrawler finished. Everyone threw him a glance of confusion. "He never vanted Rogue to get rid of her powers – he vanted them both to fight the disability and overcome it." He explained.

"That doesn't sound like you, dude." Havok said, raising an eyebrow.

"Gambit told me it a lot." Nightcrawler explained.

Suddenly the ground rumbled. The X-Men and Moira looked over at where the X-Jet was, or at least where it used to be. Rogue had taken a leaf out of Gambit's book and had stolen the X-Jet. She was closing in on the castle with incredible speed.

"Stupid girl." Storm sighed.

"She's goeen to get Gambit." Colossus said under his breath.

"First of all we have to get these guards to safety." Xavier said. "Then we have to go and rescue Rogue and Gambit – then defeat Mister Sinister."


	17. Chapter 17

Rogue could see the castle looming larger and larger in the view of the X-Jet windshield. It was dauntingly huge, much bigger than the last time she had been there – only a little while ago. It seemed scarier – the clouds framed it in darkness and the storm pelting the Island just seemed angrier around the castle. None of the fear tingling Rogue's flesh could deter her resolve, however. She was going to rescue Gambit no matter what – she wouldn't forget him. The whole reason why the X-Men were in the position they had found themselves was solely because of Gambit: so Rogue could kiss him and be a normal couple, holding hands, holding each other, like Cyclops and Jean.

"Ah'm comin' to get ya, swamp rat." Rogue said, under her breath. "Just hold on a little bit longer. Whoever the hell this Mister Sinister is, Ah don't care – it don't matter how powerful he is, if he's hurt ya, I'm gonna kill 'im."

Little did she know the battle that was happening inside the castle walls.

*

Gambit stealthily made his way up the stairs and saw Mister Sinister examining the machinery before him. Gambit assumed that this was the room in which Rogue had been operated on. He looked at the chair, long and leant back, all the overwhelming silver machinery surrounding that chair. He imagined Rogue lain back on the chair – he saw the wrist- and ankle-cuffs ready to pounce over whomever sat in the chair, trapping them – he could only imagine the apprehension Rogue must've felt – the fear.

This man before him, obviously a mutant: he was immensely tall, towering over even Gambit, who was 6'2" himself, not a short guy. The darkness that seemed to emanate from the being before him filled Gambit with more rage than before. Gambit quickly took in his surroundings with a couple of swift glances. Who was this strange mutant before him? What was he doing there?

"Bonjour, mon ami." Gambit growled, the back of Mister Sinister facing him.

Mister Sinister turned around and glared at Gambit.

"What are you doing here, mutant?" Mister Sinister demanded, shortly.

"What? Y' advertise the cure an' yet ya don't accept the mutant? Not a good way of conductin' business, monsieur." Gambit threw Mister Sinister a half-smile.

"You want the cure?" Mister Sinister asked, his tone a little lighter. _What could one more power do? As soon as I have that female mutant's powers I was going to take all mutants powers, anyway. I may as well take his now. He won't have the ability to fight back, then, before I kill him. _Mister Sinister thought, a small smile twisting his lips.

"I'm 'fraid not, mon ami. I'm here for the powers of a girl who came in here – pretty woman, long brown hair, white on top. Kinda messy hair, in that sexy way only she can pull off." Gambit threw him a big grin, though his forehead was furrowed and he was prepared to battle at any second.

The twist of a smile that had appeared on Mister Sinister's lips quickly vanished. This damn Cajun mutant was playing with him – toying with the great Mister Sinister! At that instant, Mister Sinister wanted to tear each limb off of the Cajun, as slowly and painfully as possible, before hurling him against the wall and letting him bleed to death. Yes, that sounded like a very nice idea to Mister Sinister.

"Ah, yes. I remember the girl. Very pretty woman," Mister Sinister replied, deciding to play Gambit's game for a little while. "I loved it when she screamed – such a bloodcurdling scream! – whenever her powers were removed! Made me want to put them back into her and take them out again. Such a beautiful noise she made."

Gambit's grin fell from his face – all that was left was pure hatred and loathing.

"Yeah, I heard that scream. I heard the pain she was in." Gambit spat. "S'why I'm here. I want her powers back, an' I wanna tear the bastard who hurt Rogue, to shreds."

"You're looking in the wrong place. I didn't take the powers from your little girlfriend, I only took pleasure from listening to her scream." Mister Sinister let out a small laugh. "Of course, her powers are mine now. Say thanks to Rogue for me, and, in three days time, send my condolences to her loved ones."

Gambit lunged at Mister Sinister, his bo-staff aimed, dangerously, at Mister Sinister's neck, the bo-staff ignited with kinetic energy. Mister Sinister laughed and batted away the bo-staff like it was a fly. Before Gambit was hurled across the room, Gambit stretched his legs and kicked the villain in the stomach, winding him, slightly. Gambit, then, bounced from Sinister's stomach, elegantly back flipping and landing on his feet.

"Very good, mutant," Sinister gasped, straightening up as he got over the attack. "But your acrobatics won't help you in the battle you have, foolishly, begun. I will snap you in half like a matchstick.

Sinister, suddenly, ran at Gambit. Quickly, though, Gambit leaped into the air with cat-like skill and precision, forcing Sinister to fall down the stairs. Gambit slid down the banister, brandishing a card and his bo-staff, both weapons inflamed with kinetic energy. Sinister, though, was prepared for Gambit. As Gambit neared him, Sinister grabbed Gambit by his legs and hurled him across the room, the card exploding whilst Gambit was in midair.

"Do you want me to put you out of your misery, quickly, or do you still intend to 'fight' me?" Mister Sinister bellowed, laughing.

"What do y' want with Rogue powers?" Gambit roared.

"Why, to steal mutant's powers of course! As soon as I have every mutant power in the world, I can then begin my plans of world domination!" Mister Sinister laughed.

"Sounds cliché to me, mon ami." Gambit replied, again, lunging at Sinister.

"The only cliché thing about this situation is you, Cajun. Trying to be the hero and win the girl's heart, are you?" Sinister spat, dodging Gambit's punches, quickly and with ease.

"Only gentleman-like to save the damsel in distress, no?" Gambit replied, too slow to doge another of Sinister's huge-fisted punches – causing him to be flung across the room for the countless time.

The wall, weakened by the amount of bodies flung against it, toppled down onto Gambit.

"Only damsel in distress Ah see, is you, sugah." Rogue yelled, shooting a hole through another wall of the castle.

"ARGHHH!!" Mister Sinister cried, as Rogue launched three missiles at the evil mutant.

"Pick on someone ya own size, fathead!" Rogue snarled, whacking down on a button on the control board of the Jet.

A few more missiles flew at Sinister, carefully dodged by the oversized mutant. Sinister caught one of the missiles as it flew at him. He caught it, gently, and, before it could blow up, he hurled it back at Rogue. Quickly, grabbing the stick and pulling away for the castle. The missile narrowly missed her and exploded into the air.

"Goddamn son of a–" Rogue swore, angrily.

She flung the Jet back to the hole in the wall. Rogue scowled and began bashing a different button, with haste. At the nose of the Jet, two circular slits, about seven inches in diameter, rose and showed a dark hole. Out of the dark hole some machinery, thin metal tubes that protruded with a 'zzzz' noise clicked into position. The holes at the end of the tubes lit up with bright red light and started firing out hot laser beams. The beams shot at Sinister, like massive bullets, singeing his outfit and searing gashes through his flesh.

In fury and agony, Mister Sinister roared and lunged at the plane. He grabbed the nose of the plane and threw it as hard as he possibly could. Rogue attempted to gain control of the Jet, failing, miserably. She was flung around the Jet and landed on the gearstick, forcing it to make the Jet swerve, heading back to the castle. Rogue pulled herself from the floor, staring at the place where the gearstick had once been: the force of her being flung onto it had snapped it off into position – the Jet could not stop or be controlled.

"Hot damn!" Rogue cried before running to the doorway of the Jet.

Hurriedly, as the engines burst into flames and the Jet closed in on the castle, she hurled herself out of the door, covering her face and wishing beyond belief that she had her powers of flight.

Hurtling towards the ground at an amazing pace, Rogue wondered when she was going to hit the ground, all of her regrets zooming through her mind. She'd never got to kiss Gambit ... How was Gambit? What was happening to him? Was he alive underneath the pile of rubble? Could she kiss him in the afterlife?

"Huh?" Rogue gasped – she wasn't falling anymore.

"Hey," Jean smiled, bringing Rogue over to her as she floated in front of the Blackbird. "Your powers would've come in handy round about now."

"Ya telling me!" Rouge grinned. "Whenever ya think ya about to die, ya life really does flash by ya eyes!"

"Out of all the life threatening situations we've been in, you've only just found this out?" Jean laughed, taking Rogue into the Blackbird.

"Ah'm sorry, Professor, Ah just couldn't wait any longer." Rogue apologised, hanging her head in shame.

"That's fine, Rogue. We'll talk about this later, including the new X-Jet we'll be needing." Xavier smiled, gently, though his smile was small and grave as they neared the castle.

"What's wrong professor?" Rogue asked, turning to look at what Xavier was staring at.

The castle was on fire and tumbled down into a mass of broken, flaming, black bricks.

"Gambit's still under there!" Jubilee gasped.


	18. Chapter 18

Cyclops put the Blackbird into overdrive and, within seconds, they were at the scene of destruction. Storm leapt out of the Blackbird, hurtling into the sky.

"Tempest, I command you to open your gales and thicken your clouds and release deluge onto this mountain of burning bricks!" Storm ordered.

The skies were blacker than they had been, which had at first seemed impossible, and the rain, like a tornado of water, poured down onto the burning remnants of the castle until the fire was out, returning to its previous state. Xavier placed Cerebro onto his head and tried to find Gambit amongst the rubble, to no avail. He put the X-Men into teams, again, and they went down from the Blackbird, onto the remnants, searching for Gambit and hoping he was still alive, as the thunder clashed above and around them.

Xavier, Storm and Wolverine had gone together, Xavier lifting as much rubble as he could with his telekinesis, Storm commanded the wind to lift the bricks, and Wolverine just slashed through them and kicked away the dust of what used to be the bricks.

Jean, Cyclops and Colossus worked as a team, Cyclops blasting away rubble, Jean moving bricks with her telekinesis, and Colossus grabbing massive armfuls of bricks and throwing them down.

Sunfire, Spyke and Iceman were a team. Sunfire flew around the rubble, creating a tornado of sorts, lifting bricks, before taking them to the pile Colossus had created. Iceman froze as many bricks as he could, before Spyke shot his spikes at them, shattering the ice to reveal no Gambit.

Havok blasted bricks with his plasma blasts, whilst Beast tore through the rubble with his giant blue paws. Rogue and Moira (who'd refused to be left at the safe point they'd found, where they dumped the guards), the only powerless beings there, struggled and removed as many bricks as they could – Rogue desperately calling out Gambit's name, screaming for him to be alive and to answer her.

Kurt teleported around the rubble, moving bricks and searching for Gambit, quickly and carefully. Jubilee blasted away bricks with her powers, whilst Shadowcat fazed through the rubble, searching for Gambit.

"Rogue! ROGUE!" Shadowcat called, coming out of the rubble. "I've found him!"

The X-Men rushed over to Gambit, the first one to reach him being Rogue. Rogue flung herself to her knees by Gambit's side, after Shadowcat, Kurt and Jubilee had finished yanking him out of the rubble.

"Wake up, swamp rat, come on!" Rogue cried, almost blinded by her tears. "Wake up, Remy! Please don't be dead!"

"Administer CPR, now!" Xavier commanded, urgently.

Rogue ripped off Gambit's jacket and head garment. She checked his pulse and breathing – he wasn't breathing and she couldn't find a pulse.

"I believe you're meant to give Gambit the kiss o' life, now, chere."

"Gambit?! You're alive?!" Rogue gasped, watching Gambit slowly, painfully, lift himself up and lean against her, coughing as he did so.

"Anyone can play dead, all y' gotta do is hold y' breath." Gambit smiled, before wincing because of the pain. "Y' gonna kiss Gambit, now, chere? Or has he gotta hold his breath again?"

"Ah'd slap ya so hard if ya weren't in so much pain!" Rogue yelled, smiling, tears cascading down her face. "Don't ever do that to me again ... Ah thought ya were gone ..." She added, quietly.

"Gambit's not gonna die when he's got such a pretty girl who loves him." Gambit smiled, reaching out and brushing her face with his bare fingers. "Y' skin's so cold, chere ..."

Gambit drew Rogue's face towards his, and she willingly let him. Soon their lips were centimetres away from each other's, and Rogue could feel Gambit's warm breath against her face ...

"GET DOWN!" Wolverine bellowed, as an explosion blasted from the centre of the rubble, interrupting Rogue and Gambit, who whipped their heads round to see what had happened.

Almost immediately, Xavier made a bubble over the X-Men and the Blackbird, keeping them safe from the bullets of bricks flung in all directions. Mister Sinister had risen from the carnage, even more raging than before.

"I WILL DESTROY YOU, X-MEN!" Mister Sinister bellowed, scarlet blood shining against the paleness of his flesh.

"RARGHH!" Wolverine snarled, leaping over the debris, his claws unsheathed and glinting in the thunderous night.

Rogue and Moira, quickly, hoisted Gambit up, onto his feet, his arms around their necks.

"Where we goin', chérie? Why we not goin' the other way?" Gambit demanded as Rogue and Moira took him to the Blackbird.

"Ah'm not havin' ya nearly die a second time – ya've risked ya life to save me so many times, today! Ah'm not having anythin' else happen to ya!" Rogue replied, lowering him into a seat next to the metal box with six air holes, Colossus had made out of scrap metal, for Mystique's prison.

"Chere, take me back out there! I know I can fight!" Gambit claimed, struggling to stand.

He managed to haul himself onto his feet, but his legs gave way and he collapsed onto the floor.

"Don't lie to me, boy." Rogue said, gently, putting Gambit back onto the seat with the help of Moira.

"Moira, get Beast so he can bandage Gambit up an' then get ya butt back here with him. Ya gotta stay here, too." Rogue ordered, not unkindly.

Moira nodded and dashed out of the Blackbird. Moment later, Moira returned with Beast at her side. Beast quickly and quietly ran to the back of the Blackbird and grabbed the first aid kit, a kit which was much more extensive than any normal kit. Rogue watched as Moira and Beast cleaned Gambit up and began bandaging him, after injecting into him some painkillers.

After convincing herself that Gambit was going to be fine under the care and guidance of Beast and Moira, Rogue left the Blackbird.

Every inch of Rogue body was tingling with rage and fury, all of her anger aimed at one man: Mister Sinister. She was going to make Sinister wish he'd never risen from the debris, powers or no powers.


	19. Chapter 19

Colossus was wrestling with Mister Sinister. Cyclops went to blast Sinister, but was quickly halted by Xavier.

"Come on, Cyke, ya wanna kill the Russian or not? Open ya eyes!" Wolverine growled.

Before Cyclops could retaliate, Sinister had flung Colossus away from him and into the pile of rubble he had created only moments before Sinister had risen from the debris. As Colossus was out for the count, Iceman, immediately, created a path of ice and, skilfully, slipped down it and into Sinister's back, skidding to a halt in front of Sinister, before, quickly, freezing Sinister in a block of ice.

"Now ya can fire!" Wolverine howled, after Sinister broke the top half of his icy cage, his waist down still trapped by ice.

Jubilee, Sunfire, Havok, Cyclops and Storm all surged their powers at Sinister in unison. Sinister covered his face with his arms as the ice was swiftly melted by the heat of the powers attacking him. After careful deliberation, Sinister flung his arms open, forcing the powers back at whomever fired them at him. Wolverine saw Jubilee's powers rushing, directly, back at her.

"No!" He gasped, before lunging at Jubilee and tackling her to the floor, the two narrowly missed by Jubilee's fireworks.

"Thanks, Wolvie." Jubilee muttered, rubbing her head where she whacked it on the ground as they landed.

"No problem, kid. Look out, right? I don't want ya getting hurt." Wolverine murmured, before leaping back into the battle.

Shadowcat threw a worried gaze at Jubilee's direction, letting out a sigh of relief as Jubilee, shakily, got back onto her feet. Storm, Havok, Sunfire and Cyclops had all fallen to the ground, knocked out, too, by the immensity of their powers.

Wolverine lunged at Sinister, seeing Storm passed out on the ground. Wolverine was raging that Sinister had tried to hurt Jubilee, had knocked out Storm and had stolen Rogue's powers from her, and was going to be the cause of Rogue's death. He noticed that Sinister was weakened, the mutant holding onto his side, blood pouring from his legs and chest and forearms. He engaged Sinister in a ferocious fist match, his claws unsheathed and tearing at any part of Sinister he could find.

Spyke jumped around the back of Sinister and fired wooden stakes into Sinister's back, the points of the stakes slightly pointing through Sinister's stomach as Wolverine battled him. Again, Iceman froze Sinister's lower half so Sinister could not run. Sinister quickly pulled out a spike from his back and stabbed it into Wolverine's shoulder before hurling Wolverine at Iceman, knocking the teenage mutant out. Mister Sinister then proceeded to tear the rest of the spikes out of his back and hurl them at Jubilee, Spyke, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat. Nightcrawler teleported out of the way and Shadowcat fazed so the spike went through her. The stake, instead, fired straight at Jubilee, who blasted fireworks to destroy the spike. Sadly, as Spyke dodged the stake that was hurtling at him by leaping into a front roll, he accidently whacked into Jubilee, Jubilee's fireworks blasting them both and knocking the two out.

"NO!" Wolverine roared, ripping the stake out of his arm and throwing it at Mister Sinister.

Sinister caught it and tore the remaining three stakes out of his back and hurled them at Wolverine. The stakes carefully punctured through Wolverine's ankles and wrists, pinning him to the ground in a crucifix position.

The only people left were Xavier, Jean, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat.

"Nightcrawler, teleport Jean to the back of Mister Sinister as soon as Shadowcat has fazed me to the front of him." Xavier ordered through telepathy. "We need a distraction, though ... Mister Sinister is too strong to stop his movements and attack his mind at the same time ..."

Xavier tried to come up with an idea as Rogue appeared at his side.

"Distraction ready an' waitin'." Rogue smiled, her eyes firmly set on Mister Sinister. "What do ya want me to do?"

"Rogue, it's too dangerous–" Xavier began.

"Yeah, Professor, ya've told me a million times. Ya want a distraction so ya can stop him from movin'? Well here I am, little miss distraction. _You_ do what _you_ gotta do, and _Ah'll_ do what _Ah_ gotta do."

Before any more words could be said, Rogue ran at Mister Sinister.

"Hey, fathead, remember me?" Rogue yelled, running round the back of Sinister and locking his arms behind his back.

"Jean, I want you to place your hands onto his face as soon as I do." Xavier explained through telepathy, his eyes watching Rogue struggle. "I'm going to enter his mind and I need you to, as well – I need you to help me plunge into the depths of his mind and over power him. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Jean replied, shortly, grabbing Nightcrawler's hand as Shadowcat got Xavier close enough to Sinister, who was still iced to the spot.

"GO!" Xavier yelled, and Nightcrawler quickly did his job.

Rogue's aid helped them to keep Mister Sinister from flailing about. Quickly Xavier and Jean placed their hands on Sinister's forehead and dove into his mind. Jean tried disarming his mind, but Xavier placed a telepathic bomb there. Jean tore her hand away as Xavier did, as the bomb inside Sinister's mind blew up. His body fell limp and Rogue fell to the floor.

"Is – is he dead?" Jean asked, quietly.

"No," Xavier replied. "Only incapacitated for a while. Long enough for us to get him into safe keeping."

A sigh of relief fell from Jean's lips.

"Why can't we kill him?" Rogue asked, quietly, her voice filled with darkness.

"Rogue, I know everything that's happened has created a lot of anger but if you take his life then you're no worse than he is." Xavier said, gently.

"Ah don't care about that. Ah've got two days of life left and the one man Ah want to spend them with is broken and bruised inside the Blackbird. Ah want to make sure Mister Sinister dies a painful, excruciatin' death." Rogue spat.

"How 'bout y' just come and share y' love with the one man who's broken and bruised instead, chérie?"

Rogue turned around and ran at Gambit, flinging her arms around him.

"Ah love you so much," Rogue whispered.

"I love y' too, chérie." Gambit smiled, back.

Their faces grew close and within moments Rogue had received what she wanted, what all the battling and trouble had been caused over: a kiss from Gambit.

His soft lips, his warm breath, his sweet taste: in her mind Rogue was ready and willing to die in minutes, let alone days. She had finally got what she'd wanted. She was truly happy.


	20. Chapter 20

The Blackbird landed, softly, onto the floor of the landing bay in the Institute. The X-Men, who had previously been unconscious, had stirred from their sleeps, dazed and confused, quickly being filled in the details of the end of the battle by Kurt and Kitty. Storm, Jubilee, Evan, Shiro, Alex and Scott were about to be led to the infirmary by Jean to check up on their wounds and rest from their concussions.

Hank, Kitty and Dr. Adler had quickly vanished downstairs to the laboratory, starting work on creating a cure machine as soon as they possibly could. Dr. Adler, half scared for his life, half wanting to repent for creating to machine, and so much trouble, in the first place was more than willing to share his knowledge of building another cure machine.

"Gambit, ya should go to the infirmary." Rogue pressed, Gambit's arm around her.

"I'm fine, chere, honest. Mon Dieu, y' women never give up, do y'?" Gambit smiled, warmly. "If I'm goin' to the infirmary, I want another kiss before I go and I want y' there with me, y' hear?"

Rogue grinned and stood on her tip toes to kiss Gambit.

"Yuck!" Kurt exclaimed, covering his eyes with his three fingered hand. "You guys have been doing that all the way home! Can't you give it a rest already?"

"Nope!" Rogue grinned, cheerily, blushing. "Ah've only got two days to enjoy this an' Ah'm makin' the most of 'em!"

"Who am I to disagree?" Gambit smiled, winking at Kurt.

Jean led Storm, Jubilee, Evan, Shiro, Scott and Alex to the infirmary and Rogue slowly started to help Gambit limp after them before Wolverine and Xavier stopped them.

"Before Colossus, Moira and I leave, we need to discuss the machine." Xavier explained to Rogue. "Hank says, with the help of Kitty and Dr. Adler, a copy of the machine that was destroyed at Muir Island will be ready tomorrow evening. I need to know if you're willing to go through with the operation and get your powers back."

"All depends on whether we have 'em." Rogue replied, dryly.

She was in two minds about having her powers back – what was the point living after she'd kissed Gambit? She was certainly content with life as it was, regardless of the fact she had two days left. Once she had her powers back she wouldn't be able to kiss Gambit anymore, so what was the point living?

"I'll go check on our friend, then." Wolverine said, darkly, shaking the metal box in his hand.

Wolverine extended a claw and tore open the top of the box before retracting the claw and yanking the metal lid open. Inside he could see the shining vial holding Rogue's powers, but no sign of Mystique.

"She's not here!" He growled, taking the vial out of the box and hurling the box onto the floor.

"She must've changed herself into an insect of sorts and got out of there." Xavier assumed. "Never mind, we'll deal with her, later. The fact is we still have Rogue's powers and can still put them back into her. Rogue, do you want your powers back? I've been assured the machine will be ready tomorrow evening at six. Do you want to undergo the operation?"

Rogue stared at the ground, deep in thought.

"Chérie," Gambit urged, nudging her with his shoulder, before wincing at the pain.

"Ah'll have my powers back." Rogue said, finally.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're makin' the right choice, kid." Wolverine said, pulling Rogue into a hug, which she welcomed, gladly.

"Woah! Volverine hugs people?" Kurt gasped.

"Seems so, no?" Gambit replied, surprised, also.

"It's more than any of you's are gonna get." Wolverine growled after Rogue and he had released.

"Why y' so protective of Rogue, anyway, mon ami?" Gambit asked, wrapping an arm around Rogue's neck, again, and kissing her forehead, his gaze steady and firm on Wolverine.

"She did something for me, back when you were still a no good thief, and blue boy was still in that church." Wolverine growled, cryptically, agitated by sharing such personal information with the Cajun whom he hated. "I can never thank Rogue enough for what she did for me, but that doesn't change the fact that if ya hurt her, Gumbo, I'm gonna break ya pretty boy neck."

Wolverine, threateningly, flicked a claw from his fist, brandishing it at Gambit, before trudging out of the landing bay to check on Jubilee and Storm in the infirmary and give Hank Rogue's powers.

"What did you do, Rogue?" Kurt asked, interestedly.

"None of ya damn business." Rogue smiled, softly, tapping the back of his head with her hand.

"I'm glad you've chosen to have your powers back, Rogue." Xavier said, sincerely, after the only people left in the bay was himself, Rogue and Gambit – Moira and Colossus were still in the Blackbird keeping an eye of Mister Sinister. "It's the right decision."

"Yeah, Ah think so, too." Rogue replied, keeping her gaze away from Gambit as he stared, gladly and keenly at her. "Ah mean, after today ... this whole battle ... it's a day in the life of an X-Man. If Ah get rid of mah powers, who's gonna save his ass every time he gets into trouble?" Rogue joked, pointing at Gambit, who replied with a snort and a laugh. "An' ... Ah guess Ah just wouldn't be me without 'em ... Ah've lived mah life so used to mah powers – Ah still hate 'em, but Ah'm used to 'em? When Ah was falling outta the X-Jet, Ah sure as hell wanted mah powers back." Rogue released a sigh. "Ah guess Ah'll just have to work on bein' able to shut 'em off and turn 'em on. But, that's okay. Ah know it'll take a while, but when it's done, it'll be worth it, huh?"

"I agree with y' there," Gambit smiled, kissing Rogue's head, again. "It'll definitely be worth it."

"Oh, hush up, ya dirty Cajun." Rogue laughed, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

Xavier chuckled at the two.

"Well, Colossus, Moira and I are going to take Mister Sinister away, then Colossus and I will be taking Moira back to Muir Island. I'm afraid we won't be back to see your powers returned to you, we'll be helping rebuild Muir Island into the beautiful, holiday Island it was meant to be." Xavier explained, turning his wheelchair around, to board the Blackbird, again.

"Well, Ah'll come say hi and help out as soon as Ah've got mah powers back." Rogue promised.

"That'll be most welcomed." Xavier smiled. "Oh, and Rogue, Gambit? Could you do me a favour and keep an eye on Wolverine? He's not Dr. Adler's biggest fan, but has willingly volunteered to take him to a chosen prison facility at S.H.I.E.L.D. Make sure that Dr. Adler makes it there in one piece?"

"Done an' done." Rogue grinned. "Oh, and, Professor! One more thing!"

"Yes, Rogue?" Xavier asked, spinning round.

"Could ya tell Hank Ah'm not gonna be home tomorrow at about six? Someone," she pointed at Gambit, again. "Promised to take me to Paris before mah powers came back. Ah wanna do that – spend one night in Paris with him ... Ah was wondering if Ah could do that?"

"As long as you're back before eleven at night." Xavier smiled, his eyes twinkling at the joyous Rogue.

"But, Cinderella got 'til midnight!"

"Cinderella wasn't going to die before midnight." Xavier pointed out.

"Ah didn't like Cinderella, anyway. She was annoyin'." Rogue retorted, sticking her bottom lip out.

"Enjoy Paris." Xavier called, rolling onto the Blackbird. He added, as the Blackbird door shut, "Remember, _before_ eleven."

Kurt, Rogue and Gambit waved Colossus, Xavier and Moira off as the Blackbird left the landing bay. The door opened, swiftly, the waterfall parted, and the Blackbird zoomed off at an incredible speed.

"Now, Kurt." Rogue said, turning to her brother. "Ah'm gonna need ya help."

"Oh, no, I'm not teleporting anyvhere!" Kurt suddenly said, backing away. "I'm tired and sick of teleporting! I'm so dizzy!"

"Y' willing to ruin y' sister's last day of freedom because y' a little travel sick?" Gambit asked, pushing as much guilt onto Kurt as he could.

"Ack! Fine! Paris, right?" Kurt gave in. "But I'm not teleporting you anyvhere vhilst ve're there!"

"Not askin' y' to." Gambit replied. "In fact, I hope ya won't be, no offence, mon ami."

"Urgh!" Kurt replied, his jaw dropping in disgust.

"Come to Paris in two days time at ten o'clock." Rogue instructed.

"We'll be on the Eiffel Tower having a beautiful candle lit meal." Gambit shared.

"How will I know vhere on ze Eiffel Tower you are?" Kurt questioned.

"We'll be the only ones on the Eiffel Tower." Gambit replied.

"Ya can't do that! Not unless ya have all the money in the world." Rogue pointed out.

"Or y' have such powerful hypnotic charm such as mine." Gambit explained, winking, making a huge beaming smile leap onto Rogue's face.

"Vhere do you vant to be taken to, now, though?" Kurt asked, putting a hand on each of them.

"To the River Seine," Gambit said after a moment's thought. "It'll still be the evening in Paris, and there's a beautiful spot by the Seine I'd like to show y' sister, Rogue."

*

Rogue stopped kissing Gambit and cuddled up into his arms. He'd taken off his trench coat and laid it on the floor as soon as they'd arrived at the beautiful spot by the river Seine. As soon as they'd arrived in Paris, Gambit found a wine shop, still open, and had bought the best wine he could find, and two deep glasses. Kurt had long transported back to America, and Gambit and Rogue had made their way, holding hands, the wine still in Gambit's hand, as he explained the wonders of Paris. Gambit had led them to a beautiful, enclosed spot by the side of the river, where they could see everything but no one could see them. He'd laid his coat on the floor and the two lovers had settled onto it, sipping from their wine after Gambit had poured it.

"Gambit, this place is so beautiful." Rogue whispered, her half open eyes gazing over the gorgeous scene before her.

"S'why I wanted to take y' here." Gambit explained.

The wine had been finished and the cups were on the grass, only drips left. Rogue and Gambit were filled with the warm glow of Paris at night, and the warm glow of wine inside them. Nothing, however, matched their feelings of finally being able to touch.

"Y' wanna know my dream, chere?" Gambit asked, rolling onto his back, one arm folded under his head, the other wrapped around Rogue as she cuddled up to him, gazing up at his face.

"What's ya dream?" She asked, kissing him, quickly, before he continued.

"When we're older, when y' got control over y' powers, I wanna take y' here and I wanna spend the rest of my life here, with you. Away from America, away from all the fights, away from the X-Men." Gambit said, running his fingers through Rogue's hair. "We keep in contact with our friends, o' course, but y' know what I mean ... I want us to settle down here, in France, live in a big house, with a big yard and a little river trickling beside the house ... maybe with a dog, a couple of cats, a few children, no?"

"We'd have to start making babies, first, before the cats and the dog, though." Rogue giggled.

Gambit looked at her and grinned, both of them engaging in another deep kiss.

"We get married, first, no?" Gambit grinned, holding Rogue, tightly, against him, as she lay on top of him, kissing him and stroking his face.

"No sex before marriage? That don't sound like ya." Rogue grinned, sticking her tongue out and poking Gambit on the nose.

"O' course we'll have sex before marriage, don't be silly." Gambit laughed. "Just no kids before we get married."

"Ah like the sound o' that." Rogue smiled. "Means ya gotta get up of ya butt and propose, though."

"I'm ready to marry you whenever ya ready to settle down." Gambit replied, surprising Rogue, who shut her eyes in contemplation.

"Let's sort out mah powers first ... then we can have a real honeymoon, 'kay?" Rogue finally said, opening her eyes a little.

"I like that," Gambit replied.

They kissed, deeply, passionately and lovingly.

"Hey, ya wanna practice making babies before Ah get mah powers back?" Rogue said after a long while of silences and kisses and listening to the river gently flowing by.

Gambit grinned and Rogue, and Rogue beamed, blushing at him. Their lips collided and Gambit turned Rogue onto her back, lying on top of her.

"I love ya, Remy." Rogue whispered into Gambit's ear.

"I love y', too, Anna Marie." Gambit whispered back.


End file.
